Genesis:In the Beginning
by GlassGazer
Summary: Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, has always fought for her people. Now, she'll have to fight for the world. "Aren't you afraid?" She smiled, although the expression was lost on him. "Of course." T for action.
1. In the Beginning

**A/N:**

**Today, we will embark on a journey. A journey that will be threaded with secrets and mysteries, the scent of danger lurking in the air. We won't always see the path, but it does not matter. As long as we make it to the docks, we can begin to cross the ocean to lands beyond our imagination...**

**Cheesy, I know.**

**(Zelda has always been a fascinating character to me. There are many defining traits to her: her love for her people, her hope in the hero, and of course: Wisdom. But what makes her different from all the other incarnations? This is what I'll try to explore along with all of the other promises I made.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess nor Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I do own this plot and any OCs I think of.**

* * *

_"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep…" Genesis 1:1-2_

_Genesis, n: The coming into being of something; the origin._

_See also- beginning: the event consisting of the start of something._

_Ex: "The beginning of war."_

* * *

There were only two moments in her life that Zelda could honestly say there wasn't a breeze.

It may seem peculiar to keep track of the wind, for any other it would be. If it weren't for the sole responsibility of a country, Zelda wouldn't have picked up on it.

The first time the wind died, it was with her father.

On the day of his funeral, the lanterns had nothing to propel them over Lake Hylia; it caused quite the controversy. The people whispered that the king's soul was condemned, that the Goddesses had cursed the Harkinian line. It wouldn't be a stretch considering the history of her family. Conspiracies and poorly covered assassination attempts were common for the Royal Family. However, the notion of any curse was terrifying, as it would be to any twelve year old.

The whispers and gossip only spread when Impa, Zelda's personal guard and member of the lost Sheikah tribe, disappeared from public eye. Many believed it to be sabotage to the throne. Others gossiped that a scandal between the Sheikah and the late King resulted in the late Queen's mysterious death.

_Ludicrous,_ Zelda would say. It was common knowledge that her mother died in childbirth, and Impa couldn't be more loyal to the throne. There was no possibility that Impa would partake in such a betrayal, to her or her mother. Nevertheless, the nobles couldn't be bothered by a young girl's qualms.

Doubt in the Harkinian rule only grew as the princess did. At the age of fourteen, Zelda was far too serious and outspoken as a lady. Her eyes seemed too cold to hold passion for her people, and her hands were too delicate for rule. _Nonsense_, Zelda would say. She had been trained in the art of the Sheikah, her _body_ was a weapon.

But the people wouldn't listen.

She took up fencing, archery, anything that was appropriate for a lady. In secret she continued her Sheikah training, practicing the motions and warm-ups that Impa had taught her long ago. As she grew stronger by night, her magic prowess was honed by day. Yet despite her efforts, the advisors scolded her for picking up a sword and her maids mocked her behind walls. It seemed as though there was nothing that could please the people of Hyrule.

One afternoon during practice, Zelda succumbed to a vision. She saw the darkness forthcoming, and despite her attempts at alerting her people she was ignored. She worked behind the scenes to manipulate soldier lines and issued a province-wide house arrest. No citizen was to be outside, lest they pay the Throne double the amount of taxes.

And then the army came.

On that fateful day of Twilight, the wind stilled and Zelda felt her father die all over again.

It was chaos. Despite Zelda's best attempts at preparing for an army, there was only so much an eighteen year old girl could do by herself. Her soldiers fell like paper dolls, the traps curled up around air. She was truly alone this time, for Impa was long ago sent away for her own mission.

When her guard had all but vanished to the country, Zelda had sent Impa away to restore the Sheikah tribe. There were rumors that the surviving Sheikah had fled to the East, and it had fallen to the last member to restore her people. Although her guard had refused to leave her side, Impa finally conceded to Her Majesty's wishes. But when Hyrule's final hour had come, Zelda wished Impa had given more of a fight.

Darkness crawled into her throne room and she was given a choice.

As she clutched her rapier in one hand, her courage in the other, she decided she would die for her people. She died to self. Harkinians were taught to laugh in the face of death, but as the bearer of wisdom Zelda couldn't afford to be a Harkinian.

Later, Zelda would come to realize this was her defining moment, a ruler's right of passage. But at the time it was all she could do to hold onto her sanity in the perpetual twilight.

It wasn't until she met the Hero and the Princess of Twilight that she understood the humor of the Heavens. The trio of outcasts and peculiars, chosen by the Goddesses were all that stood between the darkness and the world.

The final moments of the war all seemed to blur together: Sacrificing herself for Midna, then awakening in the broken throne room. Firing arrow after arrow while balancing on the Hero's horse. Waiting on the sidelines, hoping against all hope Ganondorf would fall, breathing for the first time in what felt like months when he did. Finally, watching the Mirror shatter and with it, the light behind the Hero's eyes.

The return to Hyrule castle had been quiet and forlorn. Zelda recalled the stories her father used to tell her at night, about the heroes of old and the celebrations after vanquishing the foe. The feasts and songs, and of course, the kiss. Zelda didn't expect a kiss from the Hero, she certainly didn't _ask _for one either. But when she invited the Hero to stay at the castle, if only to rest up before returning home, he declined.

And so the princess began the arduous task of rebuilding her kingdom. With the help of the Resistance and the able citizens of Hyrule, bridges were rebuilt and pathways were cleared; trade began anew. Even Impa's quest ended in success. The Sheikah people were thriving once again in the Hidden Village, the town no longer silent but lively with children.

Impa was thrilled to see Zelda's progress in the Sheikah art.

_'Almost as if I've been training you all these years.'_

_Impa grabbed her hand, red eyes crinkling at corners from her smile. Zelda squeezed the older woman's hand, 'You have been.'_

Although she was originally furious at Zelda for not sending for her when the army came, Impa eventually relented but refused to leave her side. With Hyrule Castle almost in running order and Impa at her right hand, Zelda felt a semblance of normality returning.

But this brought her back from her ponderings and to the present.

She sat curled on her windowsill, feet bare and resting against the cool stones chilled by morning. Knees tucked in, arms crossed, and there wasn't a breeze.

And as Zelda had always been told by her father, '_Never ignore the omen that strikes twice, for the third may be your last.'_

* * *

**A/N:**

**For those who don't know much Twilight Princess, I suggest you look it up on Wikipedia. This story will definitely be SSBB focused, but I do think it's important to understand the events that have shaped our main character. I designed Impa after the one in Ocarina of Time (OoT), but she isn't the same one. **

**Also, beware: The next chapter will focus mainly on Hyrule, and the tournament doesn't really appear until Ch. 4. Stay with me until then!**


	2. Tales of Mist and Memories

**I'm back! Updates like this probably won't be so quick, so count yourselves lucky(: Thanks to sippurp123, Inuyasha Armin Scarlet, and OrangeStreakedStar for your lovely review, they made my day! Now that I know someone actually read this has put on some pressure, so I hope this doesn't disappoint.**

**EDITED 9/10/14 Because in the nicest way possible, it sucked.**

**EDITED 9/25/14 I combined chapter 2 and 3 together for all the people that don't know Zelda; this hopefully helps the plot move quicker to something everyone will know.**

**For those that are weary of this "Zelda dump", don't worry! Next chapter we'll be at the tournament!**

**Disclaimer: I no own.**

* * *

"Your Highness?"

Zelda turned from her window to Impa standing in the doorway. She was alone, clad in her usual blue and silver armor and carried a platter of tea. The sun had risen to the point where it shone though the window and its glint off of her silver hair gave her an ethereal gleam.

"Impa, it is only us. You needn't use formalities." Her guard smiled, setting the platter on her vanity. "Ah, but I think the princess should only be as honored on her crowning day." It had been almost half a year since the Twilight war, and many thought it time for their princess to be crowned. It was well known that Zelda aided the Hero in ridding the land of Twilight, thus ensuring her place of popularity.

But despite it being her day, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.

Her uneasiness must have shown on her face, for Impa brought over her father's mug. She lost the tea cups that went with the set long ago, but she preferred the king's chipped white mug any day. It was a wedding gift to him from her mother.

Impa took one of Zelda's hands into her own calloused ones. "My sweet?" Impa was the only family Zelda had left. She didn't look a day older than thirty but she was far older, having trained the late Queen.

Zelda sighed and took a drink. It was spiced with Gerudo flower and the taste burned down her throat. "Impa, do you feel a stillness in the Heavens? As if the world were holding its breath, waiting for the worst to come?" Impa looked back at her, brow furrowed in concern. "Have you had another dream?"

Dreams of Hyrule folding in upon itself, of a glowing winged creature in the sky... They seemed the product of a young boy's imagination but both women knew better.

Zelda stayed quiet, worrying her lip. "If the darkness isn't over, if Ganondorf has returned..." Impa squeezed her hand and pulled her from her place by the window. "Come and let us walk, child." They entered the hall where castle servants darted about carrying food stuffs and barrels of wine. Those who saw the princess and her escort dropped in hasty curtsies and bows.

Some offered them goat milk and cheese while a particularly exuberant man tried to hand off a whole roasted cucco. Zelda grimaced and waved him away, Impa chuckling beside her.

"They adore you," her guard smiled and Zelda only nodded back, some of their adoration wasn't necessarily wanted.

Hyrule Castle was a place of grandeur. Old paintings varying from fruit bowls to family portraits hung on every wall, golden chandeliers lighting the velvet carpet. Elegant curves swirled on the legs of end tables while tasseled pillows warmed cold alcoves and sitting crevices. Every pocket in the Castle was meant to impress.

Except the East Corridor.

It was here that Zelda and Impa walked to, the section was closed off to all other persons. Scorch marks and holes puckered the walls and the hallway was bare of tapestries and furniture.

The Eastern corridor hadn't been restored yet so every furnishing and trinket had been moved to storage. The only distinguishable feature of the wing had been the hidden balcony placed in an alcove that overlooked Castle Town. Now, part of the banister had been broken off and the carvings were faded.

Zelda stepped through the leftover rubble and drifted her hand across the walls. '_What had the Hero fought in here?'_ It was beginning to be a sort of game between her and Impa. Her guard liked to take it a step further, "_What sort of monster would leave such a stain? You would think the Hero dipped a paintbrush and decided to redecorate..."_

"...coming?"

"Hmm?" She couldn't remember the last time she had been caught not listening. The tips of her ears burned and Impa smirked. "Is the Hero coming?"

Zelda's mood soured. She had invited him for several occasions at the Castle to try to read his character, but he always declined. This time he hadn't bothered to reply to her letter. She had never been gifted at speaking with her subjects. Ironic, since she handled nobles in court and muddled her advisors with quick words. She had a sharp tongue and a wit of steel, but informal conversations left her looking like a goose. Part of her wondered if that was why he didn't try to contact her.

"The Hero has his own business to pertain to," she sniffed and walked to the balcony. Impa gave a chuckle behind her, "So he declined your invitation?" Confound that insight of hers! "No." She was tired of being teased. "I thought the princess was to receive honor on her crowning day?" Impa appeared beside her and gripped the chipped banister.

"Ah, but I mustn't be formal when it is only us two," she winked and her gaze softened. "My sweet, I only want you to be happy. Won't you grant this old woman her wish?" Zelda smiled at this, both women knew they could look close to sisters if their separate heritages weren't so obvious. "This day is for you to enjoy, rejoice in it!" She gazed down at the cobblestone road below. "Impa, I would be in a far more celebratory mood-"

"Let me worry about your dreams. Melo!" A man stepped out from the shadows dressed in full Sheikah garb. Zelda recognized him as part of the Hidden Guard, a brigade fashioned strictly of Sheikah who patrolled the Castle halls. They were the eyes and ears of Impa.

"Chief," he bowed low, fist clenched over his heart. "How may I serve the throne?" Melo looked about her age, if not older. However if Impa were any example of the Sheikah longevity, she could be mistaken.

"I trust you have heard the worries of our Highness?" He nodded, "Search far and wide for anything that seems peculiar and report back to me." Melo rose from his bow and retreated to the shadows. Zelda tilted her gaze to Impa, "Strange, I did not sense that particular Sheikah until he revealed himself."

Impa smiled at her, red eyes glowing with pride. "Melo is one of our best at stealth, almost superior to me."

"You trained him?" It was more of a statement than a question and Impa chuckled, leaning over the banister. "I helped him hone his skill."

The people of Castle Town were awake and moved with purpose. Peddlers pitched their wares and the smell of spices and sweet cakes filled the air. The Square was already decorated for the crowning with colorful streamers tied between buildings. Lanterns and fairy bottles hung suspended with wire, and at the center of the decorations was the stage. Garnished with silks and flowing tapestries, this was where she would be crowned Queen.

"All of this is for you," Impa placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder, "their Queen." Zelda kept her gaze on the people and steadily replied, "I'm not their Queen yet." One of the mutts below had grabbed a roasted cucco leg from a stall, no one had noticed it. "You should be. You deserve the title, fighting the Evil One alone..."

"I was hardly alone."

Impa smiled down at her, but her eyes were sad. "I should have been there. You've grown so much, and I've missed it." Zelda looked towards her guard then and her heart gave a lurch; Impa hardly ever looked this downtrodden. "You had an important task for your people. You're chieftain now, they look to you for guidance."

Impa gave a light laugh and looked at the princess, smiling completely. "No, my sweet. We look to you."

* * *

"...and by the Goddesses' blessing, may Her Majesty prosper this nation and its people! All hail the Queen!" With the priest's final blessing finished, the people repeated after him. "All hail the Queen!" The crowd erupted in applause and the musicians began to play the Royal Family ode.

All across the square were Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons; anyone and everyone was allowed to participate in the festivities. Ambassadors and nobles sat in a place of honor to the side of the stage and Impa stood at her right hand, straight and proud. At the priest's cue Zelda was permitted to stand from her place and the dances began.

She was required by social etiquette to dance with the more important guests, but after an hour of being hounded ruthlessly by bachelors Impa dragged her back to the throne. Zelda was grateful for this; her ceremonial robe and crown were far heavier than her usual attire. The robe was usually worn by men in their prime, the crown fashioned for even the largest head. Zelda reckoned her forefathers had looked mighty indeed; on her, she looked rather silly.

Once comfortably seated Zelda searched the crowd, looking for anyone she would recognize. Sheikah were laced throughout the bustle of people and used magic to conceal their features. She spotted Melo and another Sheikah girl standing near a dart booth, a scraggly old man hunched behind the counter. The girl laughed and gave Melo a light shove which he took graciously and smiled back. He was holding some type of paper in his hand, but before Zelda could get a closer look a familiar black suit stepped in front of her.

"Queen Zelda," he purred. "May your reign be long and fruitful."

It was the Earl of Ninĕn, Hanta. He bowed before her and kissed the back of her hand. The Earl Hanta was a man in his late twenties, a charmer in his own right. His curly black hair was covered by a cowl, and his green eyes glittered beneath the covering. He always wore the same white gloves whenever she saw him and his approach on etiquette made her skin crawl.

Nevertheless, she smiled back. "Thank you for you kind words, Earl Hanta." He straightened back, keeping his eyes pinned on hers with a smirk. "Have a pleasant day." With that, he grinned his farewell and disappeared into the crowd.

Zelda turned towards Impa who in turn was whispering to a Sheikah. "Follow him and make sure he does nothing suspicious," she ordered, and the Sheikah faded from sight. Impa caught her staring and nodded at her.

"I don't like him," was all the answer she received. Zelda smiled at her bluntness and turned her gaze towards the people. She spotted the Shaman and his daughter from Kakariko along with the Goron elders dancing with what looked like a baby. But his face! '_What a peculiar child.'_

More men with their own ambitions ambled their way to the throne and she sighed. Foolish men were all too easy to deal with, but the more ambitious had to be watched. A man with enough will and desperation was a force to be reckoned with.

She was trading niceties with a shrimp of a man when she began to feel strange. Not quite unpleasant, but not exactly comfortable either. She narrowed her eyes, sending the man scrambling away at her order. Impa stepped to her side and kneeled, "Zelda?"_  
_

Her head began to feel heavy as if it were made out of solid rock.

"Impa..." It was a struggle to get the words out and her guard looked her over, brow furrowed with concern.

"Impa, I need to go inside..." Impa nodded once and helped her down the back stairway, some inebriated nobles waving and bowing her away. She stumbled several times, but Impa supported her like she weighed nothing more than a pillow.

Her guard pulled her within the castle courtyard and Zelda fumbled with the pins that held her crown in place; her fingers wouldn't work anymore. Impa roared orders to the castle guards, Sheikah appearing from the shadows to take away her ceremonial garb.

The weight gone, Zelda felt as if she could float away. Her legs apparently thought the same for they gave out and she found herself cradled in Impa's arms.

A bottle of red jelly was poured down her throat but she couched it up, staining her front with the liquid. It looked awfully close to blood and she looked away, feeling even more nauseous. Screams rained down upon her; _"What has she eaten today?" "Who spoke with her?" "What are your orders, Chief?"_

_This doesn't make since,_ she wanted to say. Because although her mind was muddled to the point she couldn't think, she _knew_ that she couldn't be poisoned. Impa made it a point to have her ingest poisons regularly as a child; she was immune to almost every toxic ingredient in Hyrule. Impa knew it too for she wasn't yelling like the others were. Instead, she hugged Zelda closer as she ran into the Castle walls, each step vibrating through her bones.

The light came first, a beacon of gold from her Triforce mark shining before the entourage.

Zelda recognized the warmth next, a stream of it running up her arm and filling the rest of her body. _She was receiving a message from the Goddesses. _Impa took her to the Royal Chambers and placed her underneath the covers. Zelda closed her eyes, the light from her Triforce piece was blinding. The sound of a door being shut reached her ears and silence replaced the chaos from outside.

Steady hands placed a wet rag onto her forehead, a water drop sliding down her temple. Her hair was swept away by the same hands- _Impa's hands_- and a whisper touched her ears like a feather to a pond.

_"Clear mind, clear vision."_

Zelda remembered she hadn't seen the Hero at her crowning.

Then the light became too much and she slipped away, into the world of spirits.

* * *

_She was floating._

_There was no other way to describe it; all around her was fog, cold like morning mist. Condensation began to settle on her face and she closed her eyes to its touch. Compared to the heat in Hyrule, this was a blessing in itself._

'_Clear mind, clear vision', Impa's words from before fluttered across her mind and her eyes opened. She couldn't afford to be sidetracked. Who knew how long she had before she was taken back to reality?_

_She took a tentative step forward, hesitant of the lack of ground. She didn't fall through whatever was keeping her up though, so she took another step and began to walk._

_The fog didn't clear up despite her attempts at every direction and she began to become frantic. As the bearer of Wisdom, she was expected to discern her own way in visions. She hiked up her skirt and broke into a sprint, barreling forward until she crashed into a wall that left her tumbling to the floor._

_A splash of water rose up from where she hit the ground and she was drenched. __She spouted a small stream of water that managed to land in her mouth and brushed away a few strands of hair; visions had a way of making the strange seem normal, and after a few episodes she became used to their oddities. Looking up, she realized she didn't run into a wall but a person._

_It was him._

_She couldn't fathom why the Hero's presence seemed so important to her; he was the Hero, of course his presence would be important. But for a reason she couldn't shake, this seemed personal._

_'His name is Link.' The thought was less vocal and more internal and her mind greedily drank it up._

_Link my friend is Link is called LinkLinkLink- What was happening to her? She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a closer look at his appearance. He seemed different from the last time they saw each other, more sure of himself._

_"Link?" He stared forwards, looking as if he saw something in the distance. She waved her hand in front of his face but received no response. Just as she was about to push him over-she knew she would react if someone knocked her over-another figure appeared._

_He was a few yards away, clad in red and boasted a thick mustache. He also gave no inclination towards her presence but rather stared past her. The fog slowly thinned and revealed more people, each one stranger than the last._

_A tall muscular man with a gaze that analyzed everything. A fox standing by a small yellow rat, both with an intelligence behind their eyes that the average animal didn't posses. One particular being found her taking a step back. They seemed like a monster out of legend, coated in metal with a solid green eye._

_All around her stood a variety of creatures linked shoulder to shoulder. Shoulder to knee in some cases; there seemed to be no pattern in their genetic makeup. She was trying to link them together to find some common ground when a tall figure emerged from the mist beside Link._

_It was the Dark King, Ganondorf._

_She took a step back, hand trembling over her mouth. He could not return when they were so grossly unprepared…What was she going to do? Where would her people go?_

_Before she could finish the thought a figure appeared on the other side of Link. She stepped closer to confirm what her eyes were telling her. It was Sheik, the alter-ego she created when she was beginning her Sheikah training._

_Sheik stared back at her with her own red eyes, unlike the others she acknowledged her existence._

_Sheik turned her eyes towards the other figures and she followed. They were disappearing one by one, back into the fog. Sheik pointed towards Ganondorf, and then towards the floor of water. "I don't understand," she told her. Sheik repeated the gestures, frantically now; Ganondorf was disappearing._

_After he was gone the fog began to wrap around the Sheikah's body, and a calm seemed to wash over her. Sheik brought her hand up and touched her forehead, the sign for wisdom. With that, the fog ate her up and only Link was left._

_Link focused his eyes onto her and she was taken aback at how feral they were. She half expected him to transform into the blue-eyed beast that he was when they first met._

_Something wet touched her knees and she looked down. The water was rising slowly but steadily __and she looked back to Link with concern. He outstretched his hand and without hesitation she reached out to take it. But her hand fazed through and he began to fade into the fog._

_A terrible screech rang up around her; by now the water was up to her waist. She shuffled forward, frantically trying to reach Link. He opened his mouth in a scream and the terrible noise from before muted his voice._

_The water was at her shoulders, and Link was almost gone. She couldn't lose him, couldn't bear the loss nonono please no, she was bordering on hysteria and didn't know where everything went wrong._

_She tried one final lunge towards him, all of her strength put into this last desperate move. The water was well above her head and murky with fog, but she reached his body __and held onto him._

_His heartbeat was so slow._

_She kicked with all of her strength, had to get to the surface hewon'tdie,shewon'tlethim. But it was no use, she was held down by his weight and tendrils of fog latched onto her ankles that pulled and bruised the skin._

_She held on as long as she could, gave her last breath to him, but the pulse stopped and her tears joined with the water._

_He was dead, and she was going to die with him._

* * *

"…?"

Everything hurt.

"…Zelda?"

There were too many noises around her, deafening compared to the silence from where she came from.

A screech rang up in the room and for a wild second Zelda thought she was back in the void. She thrashed and kicked; the sheets tangled themselves around her legs and she tumbled from her bed onto the floor. She hit her head on the stone and her teeth grated against the insides of her cheeks.

The taste of iron flooded her mouth and Zelda spat it out onto the floor, winded from her fall. The room was silent and she realized that she was the most probable source for the scream. Where in a regular situation she would have been embarrassed, the knowledge comforted her and she looked around the room.

The guard that surrounded her as she was carried down the hallway stood in the room, all directing their weapons towards any possible entryway. Impa stood over her with a wild look in her eyes, "What did you see?"

Zelda croaked an answer and one of the Sheikah passed her a bowl of water. She forced a few mouthfuls down her throat and leaned against the bed frame, relaying her vision.

When she got to Ganondorf's appearance several of the Sheikah wore faces of shock; while they weren't present in Hyrule during the war anyone could see the damage he left behind. Only Impa stood impassive, the pop of a vein in her neck her only reaction.

By the time Zelda was finished she held a steaming mug of tea in her hands and Impa was pacing the room, "Hyrule is in no way prepared for another war, much less for the Dark King."

"I don't think it was Ganondorf." It was true; something was telling her that wasn't the vision's warning. "Let us not forget the creatures I saw. I feel there is someone, perhaps something else that works in the shadows."

Impa considered her words, fingers stroking her chin. "It is true no neighboring kingdoms are inhabited by those you described… Perhaps there is a separate realm involved, similar to the Twilight?"

"Excuse me Your Majesty, but I may have something worth mentioning." It was Melo who piped up from his place by the door; he clutched the paper from the ceremony tightly in one hand, crinkling it down the middle. He walked towards her hesitantly and it was only then she realized she was still on the floor. She stood with the help of Impa and Melo placed the paper in her hands.

It was a flier that was intricately painted with swirling colors of blues and greens, outlined in a solid red that bled through the page.

Super Smash Bros.

Join the Brawl!

Sign-ups Closing Soon

Depicted underneath the lettering was the red man she saw, posed to fight. His opponent was the small yellow rat along with a small pink orb that didn't have legs. "They seemed to match your description", Melo explained. Her eyes widened as she took in the added details. Small pictures of random competitors were listed and every one of them she saw in her vision.

"It looks like our Hero has found a place in the tournament," Impa tapped the corner of the flier. Sure enough, Link was holding the Master Sword and stared them in the eye; the artist captured the moment perfectly. Zelda squeezed the flier in her hands, "Why did you grab this?"

Melo blushed slightly and scratched the back of his neck, "I've always loved the tournaments. My father used to take me to them when I was little, and I was hoping to go again this year," his eyes widened, "That is, with your permission!"

Zelda smiled at his nervousness and walked over to her window. It was sunset now, her people outside preparing for the evening. Fireworks in her honor were set to go off at midnight and chairs were being set out in the Square. Luckily, she didn't have to be present for this and could enjoy them wherever she pleased.

That is, if she would even watch them.

"Is this tournament open to all?" she asked without turning. Melo piped up from behind her, eager to save face. "Of course! That's why all of the competitors look so different, they're from different worlds. The tournament is what links them together."

The omens, the dreams and visions…Everything was adding up. Zelda turned to see the room looking to her for guidance. Only her guard seemed to know what her next words would be and she smiled sadly.

"Our country and its people are in great danger. If what Melo said is true, it is possible other worlds are too." She walked forwards some, preparing herself for whatever her next statement would bring.

"I need to join the tournament."

* * *

**A/N:**

**I combined chapter 2 and 3 together, so my previous note has been deleted. I'm not quite sure what to put here, so thanks for reading!**


	3. Into the Void

**A/N: Thank you to my magic three and Guest! Also, for all of you who have favorited/followed In the Beginning! You make me smile(:**

**EDIT 9/18/14 I don't think Impa or Zelda would let Melo's knowledge of the portals slide by, so I had to rewrite some parts.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros. or The Legend of Zelda. I only own this plot, and whatever shabby OC's I throw out there for filler. Oh joy.**

* * *

"We will have to time the jump perfectly."

Melo pointed towards the map of Hyrule that rested on the table. It was stained by questionable substances and almost torn in half, but it was surprisingly readable. Someone had used it quite frequently.

His finger rested on the canyon near Kakariko village. Zelda had always known there were secrets in Hyrule that she had yet to uncover, but not of this magnitude. Apparently, the Hyrule Borealis (locally referred to as the Goddesses' Lights), connected to other dimensions; most notably Smash Central. It was aptly named for being the center point of all other dimensions, a result of worlds colliding to create a new realm. The idea seemed so far-fetched that Zelda believed it. After all, the Twilight Realm was real.

At the transition of night and day a small portal opened at the bottom of the canyon. However, if the jump wasn't at the correct time and place, the jumper would either hit the bottom of the canyon or land in a separate dimension.

Obviously, much was at stake.

But Zelda knew of no other way to go to the Smash Tournament, so she would have to take her chances. On the bright side, if she did "go splat" in Melo's words, no one could say she didn't try.

Speaking of Melo, Impa wasn't exactly pleased with him. To put it lightly, she was furious.

_"Why didn't you mention this before?" _

_Melo cowered before the Sheikah Chief. Her eyes were ablaze with a murderous intent and every inch of her screamed danger; not to mention she held a dagger to his neck. Melo gulped and the blade scratched the skin. "Before...? I wasn't even in the country!" _

_At her growl he added, "It honestly hadn't occurred to me before, I swear! I haven't used the portals in such a long time, and I only ever used them for entertainment. I never intended to withhold information!" _

_Impa looked to her; she would have the final say. Zelda stepped forward and placed a hand on his forehead, her Triforce mark faintly glowing. Melo's head tilted back and his eyes fluttered close in response to her magic seeping into his skin. _

_Her Wisdom allowed her to sense lies. She could only use her gift when she touched the person in question so she couldn't very well go up to anyone and try it. Nevertheless, it definitely had its uses. _

_She searched for any traces of fabricated half-truths or deceit, but found none. He was telling the truth._

_"Melo of the Sheikah, you may be a fool," his eyes widened in fear, "but you are an honest fool." Impa slowly pocketed her dagger and stared at Melo in poorly veiled disappointment. He dropped to his knees and lowered his head almost to the floor, beads of sweat dripping from his brow onto the cobblestone floor. _

_"I promise, Your Majesty, that I will never let you down again."_

Melo was bursting with excitement now that he wasn't in interrogation. She had decided that it would be wise for him to accompany her despite his previous blunder. He had been to the tournament before, and she would need any help she could get in the new world. Impa was slightly more hesitant; Zelda suspected it was her anger from earlier.

_"If you make another idiotic blunder while the Queen's life is in your hands, you better hope I never find you."_

Definitely her anger.

Melo now stood at attention, his back so straight it was a wonder it hadn't split in half yet. The plan was that he would stay at a nearby inn for a couple of nights, tailing her in the shadows during the day until he would return to Hyrule, relaying any acquired information to Impa. Although he had been threatened twice in the last hour, he wore a giddy smile that was so contagious she couldn't help but smile back.

At least someone was looking forward to jumping.

Zelda turned her attention towards her small pack that lay on the foot of her bed. It was a simple gray and blue patched skin, faded and worn from year's pack would strap vertically down her back and was charmed to hold triple its size. Despite the extra room, her packing was focused on the necessities: several changes of her Sheikah attire along with extra wrappings, an assortment of knives and her mother's hairbrush.

The last one was more on impulse than out of necessity, but Impa suggested it and she couldn't turn her down. It was ivory and inlaid with purple and silver rupees, intricately carved and without a doubt worth a fortune.

"Are you ready for the suit?" Impa asked her, holding it up. They decided that she would disguise herself as Sheik, it wouldn't do for the recently crowned Queen to leave her country. Zelda nodded and they began the arduous task of putting it on.

While Zelda could simply wave her hand and the suit would mold to her, Impa had insisted on helping. Her guard assisted her in the wrappings and layers, placing various knives and needles in their respective pockets as they went.

'_The art of deception is a powerful thing,' _Impa would always say, _'the more you've hidden, the longer you'll live.'_

Even when Zelda wasn't masquerading as Sheik, she kept several knives hidden on her person. No one had any idea their Queen carried concealed weapons and she intended to keep it that way.

Now that she was in her full Sheikah attire, it was time for the final additions. Zelda placed her hand over her face and envisioned what she wanted. Dark skin, platinum hair and the crimson eyes: the Sheikah staples. A slight warmth trickled from her hand and flowed down her body. Looking in her mirror she frowned; her hair was more of a blond than anything. Impa suppressed a laugh behind her hand and Zelda huffed; her hair would have to work.

A small cough drew her attention towards Melo standing by the doorway. He grinned, holding their twin packs.

"It is time to embark, my Queen."

* * *

The story of the Lights dated back centuries ago.

As the legend went, the lights were made up of souls that were on their way to the Heavenly Realm. If the lights ever vanished, it would mark the last days of Hyrule.

The last time Zelda had been to the canyons, it was with her father. Her father used to bring her to the Lights every birthday, the anniversary of her mother's death. He would attempt to reach her mother from the other side, humming hymnals that had been passed down for generations in the Royal Family. Zelda always wondered if he would ever let her go.

The scene would have been disheartening if she wasn't trying to speak to her mother too.

She walked down the slope to where Melo marked as the jumping point and stared; she had forgotten how deep the canyons were, and why Hylians were advised to stay a certain distance from them. Standing on the edge, she could see the reason.

Zelda couldn't see the bottom.

Not that she should have been surprised; canyons _were_ reputable to have sharp drops at impressive heights. But now that she was going to jump off the side of one, she gained a new respect for it.

The part of her not preoccupied with the fact that she would be cliff diving soon wondered how Link had reached the Tournament. Did he jump off much like she would?

A warm hand on her shoulder brought Zelda out of her musings and she knew without turning that it was Impa. The weight of Impa's hand reminded her of the weight of her situation. What if this was the last time she would see her guard or her country?

Her shoulders began to shake, and without prompt Impa turned her around. "Your father would be so proud," she smiled, the corners of her mouth shaking, "and so would your mother."

And then she was crying, head tucked underneath Impa's chin just like she would as a child after one of her nightmares. And in the midst of her tears, she knew Impa was crying too.

They stayed like that for a while, huddled on the edge of the canyons in the dead of night. The moon glowed from its perch in the sky, the stars glittering and twinkling like a thousand embers. It was cool and silent save for the chime of the golden bugs and Zelda was reminded of the wind chimes that decorated Lake Hylia in the summertime.

A rustle of feet drew their attention. It was the Sheikah Guard, all bowed with their fists over their hearts. They stood row by row, poise perfect and commanding. "Long live the Queen," they spoke and their voices were as one.

Her eyes were red and her voice sounded nasally, but Zelda lifted her head anyways, "As the darkness descends, it is up to you to bring forth the light." It was the standard verse out of the Goddess's book, but the Guard seemed encouraged by this and rose, backs straighter than before.

Impa took her hand then, but it wasn't her familiar callused palm. They agreed she would pose as Zelda during her time away. She was the exact reflection of herself, although Impa was still in her too-large Sheikah garb that hung on Zelda's frame.

"Go now, my sweet. The time has come for you to embark on your journey." Zelda looked to the sky and could see the beginning of light beaming over Snow Peak. She gave her one last crushing hug and pushed something heavy into Zelda's pack. She looked to her guard with a questioning gaze but Impa only smiled back and lightly pushed her to the edge, the extra weight jostled on her back.

Melo steadied her and Zelda reached towards the light; streams of gold swam through her fingers and she closed her eyes, the warmth of magic traveling up her arm. Melo grabbed her other hand and she took one last look at her guard and the Sheikah. Past them her Castle was glowing off in the distance and she nodded to herself.

_'For the people'._

The Queen and her Sheikah leaped from the canyon, sinking into the abyss.

* * *

Zelda had little time to adjust to the fall before she was jarred into a cacophony of pulls and pushes, a rush deafening her ears and blinding her eyes. Her body was twisted and jerked through a series of tunnels made of air, and although the sensation was too shocking to feel anything a part of her was horrified she'd be ripped apart. Then as soon as it began, it stopped.

Grass. Her nerves jumped to the familiar sensation and she sighed in relief. The sun bared down upon them; it was daylight in this realm.

A groan sounded beside her, "I doubt I will ever be used to that." Melo stood up, his figure blocking out the sun and he held out a hand. She reached for it gratefully, "How often have you traveled here?" He stretched his arms a bit, "None at all since I was a child, but before then every year." He grinned back towards her, mouth lopsided, "My favorite Brawler had always been Mr. Game and Watch, he could disappear in a single turn."

Before she could ask what he meant, a booming horn interrupted her. They were in a sort meadow overlooking what was the largest civilization she had ever seen. Buildings that touched the tip of the sky, horseless carriages that flew; it was quite the culture shock. Zelda went through the magical prowess one would have to have in order to make it possible, and the amount rivaled that of Ganondorf's.

Melo noticed her gaze and smiled sympathetically, "When I first arrived, I fainted. My father had to carry me all the way to the inn before I woke up." As if sensing her question he added, "These people here don't use magic. Well, some of them do," he added after seeing her incredulous gaze, "But most of this runs on something else. The people here call it technology, but it's basically lightning."

The power to harness lightning… It seemed far too dangerous in the wrong hands. Zelda appraised the city; in the center of the towers was a large dome of a building. It dwarfed her castle easily, being at least four times the size. "Is that where the Tournament is held?" Melo nodded approvingly, "That's right, Your Highness."

They hiked down towards the city and she marveled at the sounds that pervaded all around her. People and animals of all sizes walked alongside in harmony, and the horn that she heard from atop the hill rang in intermissions. Looking for its source, Zelda found the most impressive creation as of yet: a large metal box that hovered above the ground at high speeds. Every once in a while it would rush past them as they walked down the road and Zelda would marvel at its intricacy.

They stopped at one building that stood upon gates, people traveling in and out from underneath. They made their way inside and she analyzed the décor. Chrystal chandeliers hung from the cream ceiling and the tables set out were fashioned out of a dark wood. She assumed this was a sort of banking room. "This is where we'll exchange your money," Melo gestured toward the front desk to where a small mushroom man sat waiting. "Don't worry, I'm a good haggler", he grinned and walked to the front desk, displaying the money bags they brought.

The horn sounded again from outside and Zelda turned towards the doors. Through the glass she could see creatures walking from the box: more mushroom men, humanoids; every one of them were different. A flurry of movement drew her attention towards the alley and to her astonishment a man was mugging one of the mushrooms. No one noticed or minded and her sense of justice overcame her. She ran outside, all but forgetting Melo and rushed onto the street.

She was almost to the other side before someone gripped the back of her suit and threw her to the ground.

A deafening wave of air rushed over her and Zelda almost thought she was in another portal until she noticed the warm arms wrapped around her sides. She struggled and kicked until the arms tightened even further, crushing her ribs in a grip that matched iron.

"_Do you have a death wish?!"_ It was a man's voice accentuated with a growl and something else she couldn't identify. "Release me!" She struggled more until his arms slackened and she kneed him in the gut. He grunted and she took her chance to run, breathing harder when she heard his footsteps pounding after her. She scanned the alley quickly but there was no sign of the man or the mushroom.

A hand clamped down on her wrist and she whipped her head around, ready to jab their eyes out before she stopped and stared. It was the vulpine from her vision. "It's okay. Look," his voice matched the man's and he pointed to a floating box a ways off. The mugger was being pushed inside by something she couldn't even begin to describe.

"The R.O.B. are in charge of reprimanding local crime," he explained, now eyeing her attire, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Just before she could answer, Melo came racing from the transaction building, money bags in hand. "Your Majesty!" Fox, as she mentally dubbed him rose an eyebrow to this. "Your Majesty?"

Face drained of all color, Melo sputtered before giving off a completely unconvincing laugh that bordered on hysterics. "Yes! Queen of…stupidity!" It was here that he whacked Zelda on the head and she would've laughed at his expression if she weren't so horrified herself. _Her cover was almost blown. _Fox rose both of his eyebrows at this, but eventually accepted it and turned around. "Foreigners…" she heard him mutter.

He started to walk off until Zelda called after him. "Please wait!" He turned around, annoyance tugging at his features. "You saved my life, didn't you?" She looked towards where she was tackled and saw the large metal box hovering over the exact spot. "Let me repay you." If she could get him to stay, perhaps she could make sense of his presence in her vision.

Fox grinned, rows of pointed teeth on display. "What could I do, let someone as helpless as yourself get flattened by a train? Fox McCloud, by the way." He held out his hand and Zelda took it. She smiled to herself, _'Fox the fox. How interesting.' _"I'm Sheik, and this is Melo." Both Sheikah bowed as was customary but Fox waved them off.

"You're a smasher, aren't you?" He seemed used to hearing this and nodded. "I'm looking to enter the tournament." He appraised her with a critical eye and nodded, seemingly approving. "You've made it just in time; the sign-ups are closing today. You can repay me later once you've made it in." He began to walk down the road, Zelda and Melo in tow.

"Made it in?" It was Melo this time, face pinched; it seemed he was still mortified from earlier. Fox barked a laugh from the front, "What, did you think it would be easy? The Smash Tournament is one of the most talked about competitions in the Galaxy. It's almost impossible to get in unless you're a crowd favorite or got connections." Zelda wrinkled her nose at this, it seemed court affairs weren't just a specialty in Hyrule.

As they walked along the path people began to stare. While some seemed more in awe, others narrowed their eyes and spat curses; Fox didn't pay them any mind. They passed by several storefronts with large glass panels that reflected light into moving pictures. "Those are called screens," Melo whispered to her, and although he had doubtlessly been there before his eyes still held a childish gleam.

They soon reached the Dome and Fox stopped to spread his arms out in a sweeping gesture. "Welcome to Smash Central."

Up close, the Dome managed to be even more impressing. The surface of the building shined like melted silver and when the sun hit it the right angle it burned like fire. The architecture almost distracted Zelda from the decrepit buildings nearby; trash littered the sidewalks and graffiti covered the walls.

She narrowed her eyes, anything this glamorous had something to hide.

The front doors rivaled her Castle gates and a string of people trickled out. Again, some pointed at Fox while others began to shout amid flashing lights. The vulpine narrowed his eyes in return but didn't acknowledge them. He instead led them towards a pair of gray doors off to the side that almost melded into the wall.

"When you're a Smasher, you get special perks," he explained, and slid what looked like paper into the wall. A beep sounded from the machinery and the doors swung open with a smooth precision that couldn't be found in her world. Fox walked inside until he realized they weren't following and grinned, amusement written on his face. "Coming?" Zelda shook off her wonder at the door and grabbed Melo by the arm.

They followed the vulpine down a series of hallways lit by glowing cases on the ceiling, sometimes running into mushroom men who would stare blatantly at them. "Don't mind them," Fox waved off their questions, "there just haven't been enlistees back here before."

When they reached an open corridor complete with a pair of double doors and a reception desk, Fox grabbed several papers from a wall hanger.

"This here is the medical form that states the tournament cannot be responsible for any injuries you attain on or off the grounds. This second form is for anything that makes you more desirable: abilities, recommendations…" He trailed off once he noticed Zelda's look.

"Why are you going to this much trouble to help me?" She asked, and he truly smiled at this. "Anyone who would fight tooth and nail for somebody they didn't know…they're okay in my book." He nodded once like he was agreeing with his own words, "The interviewers are past that door. Tell 'em Fox sent you, and you'll be seen right away." With that, he waved once and turned down the corridor, disappearing from sight.

* * *

**A/N: Gaah. Almost 3,000 words, my goodness! I couldn't find the right place to stop without it seeming too disjointed. Anyways, I hope Zelda wasn't too OOC. The way I see it, she's eighteen and saying goodbye to the only world/family she knew. I would think she would be a little emotional. Also, Fox made an appearance :D His personality is a bit hard for me to grasp; does anyone else have that problem?**

**For those who are worried about Melo being super prevalent in later chapters; don't worry, he won't. I seriously came up with his name on the spot because I didn't think I would ever really use him, but now I've given him a bit of personality Haha...but I've got plans for him elsewhere, you'll see. **

**For those who care, we may see Link in the next chapter! No promises though.**

**Until next time!**


	4. Of Mushrooms and Men

**Hey! Now that school has started again, updates are going to be slower. I would guesstimate once every one/two weeks, but by no means take that as fact lol. **

**PLEASE READ: Yes, Zelda is in her Sheikah attire, I won't start calling her Sheik though, because she's still Zelda. Even when Zelda IS Sheik, she's still herself and keeps her own personality. **

**Let us begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SSB or Zelda. I don't even own a car.**

* * *

The papers were proving to be more of a hassle than Zelda thought they would be.

_'It's no surprise Fox left as soon as he did.'_ They were almost as bad as her daily court papers. Every question was optional but she knew it would be best to answer as many as possible. Problem was, half of them forced her to lie while the other half made no sense.

"_What is your occupation?"_ or _"What are you most known for in your kingdom/village and/or planet?" _Her favorite one yet was _"What is your secret power?"_ This was particularly stupid; why would she tell them if it was supposed to be a secret?

Zelda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. By now only half of the questions were filled out, and most of her answers were either false or completely evaded the question.

"Sheik?" Melo had finally gotten used to calling her by her Sheikah name, and now he stood before her toying with one of the pens from the front desk. "Yes, Melo?"

"The interviews are closing in half an hour". She looked towards the large electronic clock that hung on the wall; Melo had taught her about its design. Sure enough it was almost 5 'o clock, the closing window to her grand escapade.

One glance at her registration papers and she knew that no amount of time would help her make a more acceptable form. It was now or never. She grabbed a few more papers from the front desk and the mushroom frowned; she paid them no heed. The more papers one held, the smarter one looked. She often employed this trick with her advisors, and if it could fool crotchety old men it would fool whatever was behind the door.

She knocked twice, "A little busy at the moment! Please come back tomorrow!" The voice was high and nasally as if the person had a cold. Undeterred, she knocked again. "Fox McCloud has sent me. Please, it's urgent." The silence that followed lasted so long that Zelda was about to knock again until the voice answered with a huff.

"'Urgent', eh? Fine, but wipe your shoes!"

Taking the doorknob by hand, she was met with a sight she didn't expect. The smallest, oldest mushroom man she had ever seen sat behind a desk that easily dwarfed him; he could have sat comfortably in its drawers. His beard traveled past his feet and hung all the way to the floor, weaved in braids and held in pieces by an assortment of bows. The glasses were almost as ridiculous: the lenses were as thick as her index finger and took up half of his face.

The entire scene was completed by a small fold up chair set up for the visitor. It was probably meant to intimidate, but she found it more humorous and was thankful her wraps covered half her face; he probably wouldn't have been amused by her smile.

"Well, you said it was an emergency. Out with it, girl!" Zelda ignored his blatant insult as elders were allowed some leeway. "I have wish to join the tournament." The old mushroom sighed, the sound filling up the space around him until Zelda was worried it would be his final breath. "Might as well get through the last one. Sit!" The mushroom grumbled to himself while she sank into the folded chair, handing him her registration forms.

He adjusted the glasses on his face and squinted, holding the papers nearly a foot away from his face. By his expression, he didn't like what he saw. He hummed and harred, but Zelda could tell his decision was already made up. Frantically, she thought up anything that would act in her favor. Fox's words from earlier flashed across her mind, _"It's almost impossible to get in unless you're a crowd favorite or got connections."_

Zelda smiled, she knew what to do. The only catch was to make sure the old mushroom couldn't see what she was doing, which wouldn't be too hard considering he was practically blind. She concentrated on her remaining papers in hand and felt the warm magic leave her hands, forming an elegant scrawl, "_We the Queen hath found inconceivable strength in Our warrior Sheik…"_

"I'm terribly sorry, miss...uh" _Almost there… _"Shike? Sheik! Yes, well…" _The Royal Seal was almost finished… _"You're not quite what we're looking for-" She cleared her voice loudly and inwardly cringed at the sound; if Impa could hear her now! "Please forgive me, but I forgot to include this." She handed him her own recommendation and he straightened his glasses.

"Hmm…ah, yes! You should have mentioned this earlier, my dear!" He was far more cordial now, and he smiled, revealing a row of teeth. Zelda grimaced; mushroom men and teeth were a little too different for her.

"The Master Hand is fascinated with countries such as yours, with their…" he waved a hand as if he expected to grab the words out of thin air, "vintage beauty! I can't give you the official welcome just yet, as I need to run this through with the Master. But!" He rose his small fist, "I can assure you that you will be a most welcome addition to the crew!"

He finished his speech and looked slightly winded, but he jumped off the desk nonetheless. His long beard trailed behind him and dragged bits of lint from the carpet. "In the meantime, I suggest you head to the dining hall for dinner and meet the other Smashers."

He walked over to a cabinet in the corner of the room and rummaged quickly before pulling a slightly crumpled paper out. "Aha! Here is a map," his knarled fingers brushed over hers and she fought the urge to reclaim her hand, "try not to lose it, we don't make these anymore."

She bowed her thanks and left the room. Immediately Melo was at her side, "I assume you heard everything?" He nodded and smiled, "I did. Congratulations! Although I would love to meet the Smashers, I need to get to the Inn. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

He looked so disheartened that Zelda promised to give him a tour later and he smiled, insisting he could easily find his way by himself. "After all," he concluded, "I'm one of the best trackers in Hyrule." Zelda laughed at this and they parted, Melo slipping into the shadows in true Sheikah fashion.

Now on her own, Zelda analyzed the map. The dome she saw outside was in fact only one part; the stadium was actually a sphere half submerged underground. The upper half was opened to the public and contained tourist shops, training rooms and the stages where the fights would take place.

Zelda widened her eyes at the section reserved for shops; it took up nearly a third of the space.

Below ground held the living sectors and rooms dedicated to lounging spaces. The very last few levels were for storage and she squinted at the map; there was no dedicated room to Master Hand.

Deciding she would contemplate the matter later, she made her way down the hallway to the stairs. It would be a _long _way down.

* * *

By the time she was halfway down she was already dreading the return up. Her exhaustion had caught up to her; she hadn't slept all night and the culture shock had taken its toll on her body. Still, she couldn't sleep on the steps and persevered until she reached the tenth floor.

She pushed open the door that hung on the landing and almost shut it from the noise level on the other side. It sounded as if the building were tumbling down. With gritted teeth she stepped into the room and resisted the urge to cover her ears, she couldn't afford to appear weak.

Large dining tables were set up around the long room and lights of all kinds hung from the high-vaulted ceiling. There were even a few torches that adorned the wall. A counter that spanned the entire left wall contained platters of any food she could imagine, and kitchen servants walked by replacing the empty trays with steaming fresh entrees. Her mouth watered at the sight.

And the people! The room was crowded by people of all sizes and shapes; a blue dog walked upright with glowing hands, something akin to a bat in armor glided past. She was so caught up at the sight that she was almost run over by a young boy chasing a yellow rodent, and she jumped out of their way only to bump into a man in a jumpsuit.

He smelled of smoke and gunpowder, and his eyes trailed down her attire; although the action would be considered leering Zelda had the feeling he was assessing her. "I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me…" He nodded and walked off, leaving her wondering what his assessment concluded.

"Hey, princess! Over here!"

_What?_ Panic bubbled within her and she spun around, eyes scanning the room for the source of the voice. It was Fox; he sat at one of the tables with other Smashers and waved once he saw he had her attention.

She all but ran towards him and tried to appear as passive as possible. "What do you mean by princess?" He couldn't possibly know, could he? How would he have figured it out?

"C'mon. Queen of stupidity, remember? Although, you _do_ seem more like a princess to me." He grinned and winked at her and she felt her panic subside. He was _joking_; Goddesses, she should get out more.

"Take a seat," he pointed to a chair beside a flamboyantly dressed man wearing a helmet and she sat down. The soft padding felt as soft as a feather pillow and she sighed, sinking deeper into the chair. She wasn't sure she could get up again. Fox grinned at her, white teeth bared. _Was he always smiling?_ "I knew you would make it in. Welcome to the crew, princess."

"Actually, I haven't been officially added to the roster. The interviewer needs to hand in my form to Master Hand."

Fox's grin wiped off and he pulled one of his whiskers in thought. "Really? Well, I'm sure you'll make it. The Hand _has_ been rumored to have a soft spot for kingdoms like yours." Reassured by his own words, his mouth lifted at the corners. "Yeah, might as well introduce you to the pals. That's Captain Falcon, one of the best racers on the circuit." He pointed towards the man beside her, and the captain bowed his head towards her. "You can call me Falcon." He smiled and Zelda found the expression fit nicely on his face.

Fox then pointed towards a bird in clothing similar to his own and smiled, although it was slightly strained, "This one's Falco Lombardi. He can be kind of a pain, so ignore him." Falco glared at Fox, and Zelda almost thought she detected a hint of true animosity in his gaze. Before she could look deeper Falco turned to her, his eyes blank. "Nice to meet you, princess," he grinned as much as one could do with a beak.

Fox finished his introductions with a grand flourish to a tall blond woman on Falcon's side, "This is Samus Aran, intergalactic bounty hunter with a famous smash streak." Samus nodded her head towards her and she nodded back, mutual respect passing between them.

"So, do you got a name other than Fox's stupid pick?" Falco said, spinning his fork in a clump of pasta. Zelda nodded, "I am Sheik from Hyrule, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you." She finished her self-introduction with a customary bow.

"Yeesh. You weren't kidding, she is a stiff." Falco muttered to Fox, the vulpine chuckling softly. "Yeah, but she'll grow out of it in time." Ignoring the fact that she was being talked about as if she weren't there, she turned her attention to Falcon. "What brought you to the tournament?"

His eyes widened slightly and she was afraid she offended him before he laughed, his stomach shaking the table with his gasps. "Hardly anyone has asked me that before, much less a rookie! I joined when the tournament re-opened, looking for a little excitement and a different change of pace to racing."

"When the tournament re-opened?"

"Yeah, it closed several years ago. There was a mishap that happened and the whole tournament was canceled. The matter was closed only a year ago, but the tournament opened a few months after," Fox piped up from the opposite side of the table.

Zelda was about to ask what the mishap was when something landed on her lap. It was the yellow rodent from before, "Pikachu likes you!" The little boy she saw chasing it now stood by her chair, looking at the creature in her lap. She hesitantly brought a hand up to the rodent; she wasn't fond of rats.

As if sensing her unease, Samus spoke for the first time since she sat down. "Pikachu isn't like any animal from your planet. He is part of a species called Pokémon." Her voice was low and pleasant, each word carefully thought out. Zelda nodded and scratched behind Pikachu's ears, "What's your name?" The boy beamed at her and pointed his thumb at his chest, "I'm Ness. Who're you?"

Zelda smiled at his forwardness, there were some qualities that only children could pull off. "I'm Sheik, and it's very nice to meet you." Ness opened his mouth to say something further but was interrupted by the sound of static coming from the ceiling.

"_zssst_ Sheik of Hyrule, please report to Master Hand on the seventh level in the Drawing Room._ zssst"_ The static broke off and Zelda was aware that the room had fallen into a dead silence.

She looked around for whoever spoke, yet none met her eye. "What was that?" she whispered to Fox. He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "...It was the intercom." He left it at that, but he looked like he wanted to say more. Finally, he got up.

"I'll show you to the Drawing Room."

Zelda nodded and stood, Pikachu hopping into Ness's arms. The boy looked at her with wonder in his eyes and she couldn't help but feel perturbed.

Everyone at the table was silent except for Falco who stood hissing to Fox and making quick gestures with his wings, his eyes narrowed at her; she met his gaze coolly. What had she done wrong? It was unlikely that her recommendation was found out to be none other than some charmed papers, and even if it was she would send Melo for the official document.

She walked over to Fox, this time he waited for her before walking on. They weaved between tables and their footsteps echoed on the dining room floor. The air was hushed with whispers, and every so often she would meet the gaze of some.

She spotted the gunpowder man from before; he sat in a corner by himself with his head rested on his hand looking to all the world uninterested, but she was positive he was observing her every move.

Someone tugged on her sleeve as she walked past; a young woman who looked only slightly older than herself smiled, bright blue eyes blinking towards her own crimson ones.

"Good luck!" she whispered, and Zelda couldn't help but smile behind her mask.

They left the room and entered a hall dressed with warm colors accented by oak flooring. It was a welcome respite to the cold atmosphere of the dining room, and Zelda took a moment to breathe. Fox abruptly turned around and stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"Do you know what this means, princess?"

Fox met her face with a grim expression, paw resting towards a holster on his waist in a nervous tick. He didn't give her a chance to answer. "It means you've _caught his interest._ Master Hand hardly ever calls to meet with anyone, and has never met with a newcomer or applicant. He prefers to drop in unexpected, it's his _style_." He spat the last part like it was poison.

She was taken aback at his hostility, and immediately a thousand questions ran through her mind. But she quelled them and instead spoke for the present. "What do you suggest that I do?"

His blue eyes, unusual for a fox but perfect for him, were grim but hesitant. His tail flicked back and forth, ears alert with his hair standing on ends. She would almost think him angry if he weren't in obvious turmoil_. _

Finally he relented, stepping to the side. "I'm not sure," he muttered.

There are some moments in life that call for a heart of courage. Zelda recognized this as one of those moments. Fox's eyes searched her face, but she kept a marble front and glided breezily past him.

_"Then I suppose I should make haste."_

* * *

**A/N: Please don't kill me! **

**I know I promised Link would make an appearance, but the chapter kept growing and I figured you guys would want me to update sooner than later... I almost slipped him in but couldn't find a way without it seeming too anticlimactic and lame.**

**Hmmmm...it seems there's some tension between Fox and Falco. Oh my! I tried my best on Fox's character, but I'll just say there are things going on behind the scenes that will slowly be revealed.**

**I already have next chapter planned, I just need to type it. I'll hopefully start on it this weekend. Again, sorry for the disappointment!**


	5. A Dove in the Hand

**owza! Ch. 6 already? Haha, thanks to all of the new favorites/follows and you lovely reviewers! (: A special shout out to Zelda Informer for sharing my fic on their site! If you're interested in anything Zelda, their site is the place to go. **

**On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or Super Smash Bros.**

* * *

The echo of their footsteps resounded in the hallway and out the window, a prayer to the skies above. Sunlight danced in the hallway from the setting sun, bathing everything in a vibrant orange. She wanted to ask Fox how it was possible for there to be a window when they were a level below ground, but held her tongue. One look at him and she knew he was in no mood to explain.

He looked more serious than she had thought was possible for him. His jaw set with back straight and head held high like he was heading to battle; perhaps he was.

She wasn't a fool; she knew better than to underestimate an opponent. But as a ruler she knew not to barge into situations that she only knew from other's point of views. That was how great kingdoms had fallen and where mighty kings became weak.

Be that as it may, she couldn't suppress the nagging feeling that told her Fox was right.

They reached a dead end with only two knob-less silver doors waiting for them, surrounded by fake shrubbery and a small painting that hung askew. Fox walked ahead of her and pressed some buttons that were to the side; the doors slid open and Zelda walked forward in curiosity.

Fox's mouth twitched, "If you're impressed by that, just wait till you get inside." She followed him into the small room and the doors slid closed. "You may want to hold onto something." She only had the time to grab the metal bar on the side before it felt like the ground crashed and she fell to her knees.

The sensation was over before it started and the doors slid open. Fox helped her to her feet, "Don't worry, other people who aren't used to technology had the same reaction." He looked her over before adding, "That was your first time, wasn't it? Do yourself a favor and start taking the elevator, you look terrible."

Zelda could only nod without risking the chance of falling over. He helped her walk into another hallway that led with a tattered long carpet. Parts of the walls had been repainted, small holes spread throughout the plaster as if a brawl had taken place. She could only assume they had reached the living spaces. Their footsteps were muffled by carpet and Fox supported her until she could walk on her own, "Thank you." He nodded in reply, and she couldn't help but voice her next question, "Did Link have the same problem?"

After seeing Fox's face she added, "With the elevator. Did he adapt easily to the technology?"

He glanced at her dubiously, "What do you know about the guy?"

Not knowing how much she should disclose, she stuck with what would be common knowledge to even the most out of touch Hylian. "He's regarded as a hero in my country." Fox nodded slowly, but he still looked slightly wary.

"I don't know much about the guy except that he isn't what he seems. He's quiet and polite enough, but there's something wild in the way he fights. Those eyes...something isn't right there."

He shook his head and looked at her sternly, "I don't know what he did for your country, but here it's different. It's always different." He added quietly, looking straight ahead and Zelda didn't know what to make of it.

They passed a door propped open, smoke curling out and into the hall. Zelda and Fox traded alarmed glances and they peeked inside. The room was crowded with an assortment of trinkets; polished picture frames perched on a large dresser, though Zelda couldn't make out who the people were.

Her attention was too focused on the monstrosity lounging on his bed. He looked as if someone had crammed a turtle shell on the back of a dragon, and stank of sulfur. The monster only glanced in their direction before he chuckled deep in his throat and flexed his claws.

"What's so funny, Bowser?" Fox stopped walking and Zelda paused, the monster glancing her way. Bowser got to his feet slowly, his mass seeming to double in size when he reached full height. He easily dwarfed them in every way, Zelda only coming to his shoulder and less than half his girth.

Fox narrowed his eyes as the monster slowly made his way to the door. He reached for the holster by his side as Bowser loomed over them. A low guttural chuckle made its way through the monster's throat and he grinned, smoke slithering out of his mouth. His teeth were the size of Zelda's knuckle, she reckoned he could bite her in half if he so wished. She started to gather some magic in her hand, Bowser's yellow eyes flickering between her and Fox. His hand moved-

And shut his bedroom door.

A cackle resounded behind the closed door and Fox let out a breath, muttering a stream of profanities before turning towards her, "Don't go near him." Zelda couldn't help but agree.

They left the corridor after that and he led her through a series of twists and turns through the halls. Zelda noticed that the quality had gradually begun to improve the further they walked.

The carpet was a fresh green over honey wood floors, the walls painted a soft yellow like sunlight in the morning. The hall soon opened to a wide space meant for relaxed gatherings. Plush couches filled the space, a screen not unlike what she saw in the city hung on a wall. Low tables stood on sturdy legs near the couches, and soft lights hung suspended in the air.

Fox pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room, "There you are." It was a seemingly innocent door, a soft brown with a golden door knob. It could pass for any door, yet Zelda knew what lay on the other side determined her life from then on. Her next steps could lead her to glory or ruin, the fact bundled in a small package of poetry.

She took a few steps and turned, expecting to see Fox halfway down the hall. He stared at her, arms crossed with an eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Aren't you leaving?"

He scoffed, offended by the idea. "Princess, I don't run with my tail between my legs. 'Trust your instincts' is what I live by, and my instincts are telling me to stay put." He accented this by plopping onto a couch, quite a sight between the overstuffed pillows.

He tossed her something orange and white and she caught it; it was a small Fox figurine, the clothes an exact copy and the fur so realistic it could have come from the real one himself. "A good luck charm," he explained, ad Zelda felt a rush of gratitude that couldn't be put into words. She nodded, and Fox grinned before his face hardened. "Don't let the Hand get under your skin."

With those parting words, he gave her a thumbs up and she returned it, stepping through the door that marked her destiny.

* * *

When she was young, young enough to get away with running barefoot through the halls, she came across a dove. It lay on an alcove near her bedroom door, wings spread as if suspended in flight.

It's blood seeped into the cracks of the mortar.

_She screamed and ran, tiny feet pounding on the steps leading to the conference room where she knew Impa and her father would be meeting with an ambassador. She barged through the door with fat tears rolling down her cheeks, and the room was ordered to be cleared. _

_After some warm milk she calmed and told them about the dove. He father's face had darkened, and she didn't notice when Impa left the room preparing her swords. _

_Her father had put her in his lap and sighed. "Zelda, sometimes people will try to scare you, will threaten you for being who you are. And when they do, you must stand strong. I won't always be here to hold you." When she began to fuss, he silenced her. _

_"Shh, now. Listen. I won't always be here, and neither will Impa. And that is why you must dry your tears now, so Papa has nothing to worry about when the time comes." She rubbed her eyes with curled fists and looked at her father with wide eyes. "But Papa, you won't be gone until a long time from now, right?" He smiled fondly at her as she sniffed. _

_"Right."_

The memory flashed through her mind as she took in the room. There was complete darkness, and she would have been stumbling blindly if it weren't for the funnel of light that came from underneath the door. The light spread until the middle of the room, and it bounced off of a ring of couches that encompassed the walls. '_Almost like a pig pen...' _She squeezed the figurine in her hand, the fur poking out between her fingers.

Everything out of reach of the light was bathed in darkness, the outline of lamps and bookshelves odd and grotesque in silhouette.

Zelda took a few slow steps into the room, her footsteps muted by the carpet as she crept around the crouches. It wasn't until she made it to the center of the ring that she had the prickling sense of being watched from above. Slowly, she rose her head.

A detached hand clung onto the ceiling above her.

A white satin glove covered the disembodied limb, a right hand garbed in white. He glowed in the shadows; she was reminded of the Hero of Time's journal that was preserved in the Castle Library.

_"Upon reaching the monster's lair, I found to my horror a creature ascended from the Pit. Two hands and face I saw, and to the beat of a drum I fell victim to: a dance of death. Its title was Bongo Bongo..."_

Laughter bounced off the walls, and she caught herself looking for the head when his name passed her mind, _Master Hand_. He was a hand.

He descended from the ceiling as if he were lowered from a wire, graceful and slow. The likeness to a spider didn't go past Zelda and her spine snapped straight.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come, Sheik." His voice rang in her mind and seemed to fill the empty space in the room; groomed with refinement, a hint of something darker beneath the surface.

She bowed, "I apologize for the wait, Master Hand." If hands could grin, she was sure this one would be. His fingers crawled towards her and she fought the urge to flinch. "No need. You arrived, and that's all that matters. Please, take a seat." He pointed towards one of the couches and she sat on its edge, hands folded in her lap.

"How has your time been here? I bet it has been quite the shock, coming from a kingdom such as yours." Zelda thought on this; he had given her a chance to agree, but it was obviously a test. What would work as truth yet impress him?

"While I admit this city's advances are very impressive compared to Hyrule, our magic is capable of similar qualities that I have adjusted to." She decided to stroke his ego, and she could see it worked. The Hand perked up, and folded its two fingers over the other two. _'I haven't adjusted to _that, _however.'_

"Ah, of course. I must ask something that has been on my mind for quite some time. You see, I find Hyrule to be deliciously fascinating," he moved around the room, the beam of light slipping through the cracks between his fingers. The moving shadows covered her face as he passed.

"The veins of power and beauty are embedded in the soil of that country," his fingers quivered, "as such, it is no secret that there are many guardians such as yourself in place." The Hand halted in its walk and faced her. "I understand that a great war has ravaged your land recently. One would think every guard would be on duty. _Why_, then, are you here?"

Zelda was prepared for this, "Because of the nature of the last war, the Queen has given me permission to hone my skills with the great warriors here. Perhaps the skills I attain may be of use to other Sheikah once I return."

Master Hand tapped his index finger on the ground, computing this new bit of information. Finally, he drawled, "I was under the impression the Sheikah were a dying race."

What could she say to that? It was true; even she had her doubts the Sheikah still existed till less than a year ago. Master Hand leaned in on his fingertips. "The Sheikah have been gone for a while now, haven't they? How do I know you are what you say?"

She licked her lips, "My people have stayed by the Royal Family for generations. We have never left." At Master Hand's silence she added, "Although we may have been hidden, we were everywhere."

Master Hand seemed disappointed by this and fell back on his palm. "I see. Perhaps I will have use for you. And if I don't, the media enjoys ripping apart the fresh meat." That was a threat if she ever heard one.

An awful sound boomed around her, and she realized he was laughing. It was the embodiment of a heartless puppet master preparing his stage, and the Hand rose into the air. She ignored the tightening in her chest when she realized he crawled on the floor to disturb her, and tried not to dwell on the fact he succeeded.

"You are dismissed. Here is your room number and key," a paper and bronze key floated towards her and she grabbed them out of thin air, "you will be scheduled to fight once you have comfortably settled in." She couldn't help but think her definition of comfortable was vastly different from his.

Zelda bowed and walked towards the door, gait calm and confident while on the inside her organs were jelly. His stare made her hair stand on ends, and she put her hand on the doorknob, almost to freedom-

"Oh, and Sheik?" She turned and Master Hand floated a hair's breadth away-_how was he so silent?_-"If your people are everywhere, I don't suppose I'll find one creeping in my halls?"

_Melo_...She shook her head. "Good. Yes, very good..." She waited for him to finish or give any sign that she was dismissed, but he didn't.

As she left, all she could think of was the dead and bloody dove from so many years ago.

* * *

Fox stood as she strode from the closed door and didn't say a word until they were well into the hall, away from nosy ears and floating hands.

"What did he have to say?"

The lights from the ceiling cast a fluorescent glow that made Fox's face too harsh, his fur throwing shadows over his eyes. It reminded her of the room.

"Sheik."

Anger-_and a hint of betrayal, though she wouldn't dwell on that-_ burned its way into her veins and she spun on her heel to face him, "Why didn't you tell me he was a _hand_?" If she had some warning, a hint for goddess's sake, maybe she wouldn't have been so _terrified_.

"What? You think you would've been calm knowing he was a faceless, glove-covered meat claw?" He barked a humorless laugh, "C'mon, princess. I know you can do better than that."

She let out a small huff, eyes still blazing but her temper subsided. "He knew things that someone of his position shouldn't know." Some sympathy, _or was it pity?, _reached his eyes, "I know. Like I said, don't let him get under your skin."

They walked down a few more halls in silence until she broke it, "What is the media?"

Fox looked at her dryly before responding, "The paparazzi, the gossips; all of the trash compiled together to create the ultimate garbage heap on one unlucky soul." She nodded, considering this.

"Why? Did he threaten to go to the media about you?" He scoffed before muttering, "Like they need anything else to write about."

"He said something of the like. I assume they're rather vicious towards the newcomers?" Fox nodded, "The first weeks are the hardest. That is, assuming you made it?" That's right, she forgot to tell him. She handed him her room information in answer and he smiled, "It's only a couple halls down from mine, and on this floor too."

They walked down several more halls, and her energy was completely spent. Fox noticed this and ushered her forward, insisting they were almost to her door. "Sorry princess, but don't expect any royal treatment," he winked and she weakly smiled back, though she doubted he could tell.

The floor turned to a dark, almost black wood covered with a storm-gray carpet. The same color painted the walls, and a texture was added that made it seem as if they were swimming in ocean foam. "Your room is the third door to the right." Fox pointed down the hall, then grinned, "Now I really am turning tail. It's late, and I've got a brawl in the morning."

Before she could utter an ounce of thanks he added, "You should come. 11 'o clock, ask around and someone will show you the way." They said their goodbyes, Fox grinning like his usual self and then she was alone in the empty hallway.

Zelda looked at each of the doors; she hadn't noticed it before, but every door had its own engraving. The one on the right of her's had an insignia of a fox, though Fox had said his room was elsewhere.

The door to the left of hers depicted a mushroom, and her own had the Triforce. She ran a finger over the engraving, reaching for her key until she sensed someone else's presence. She turned, a greeting on her lips.

It was Link.

Despite the months that had passed, the events that had unraveled in time, he looked the same. From his green tunic to the Master Sword, his worn brown gloves to the blue hoop on his left ear, he looked as if he had just returned from Hyrule and hadn't been at the tournament for the past few months.

He stood across from her, arms at his side with his feet shoulder width apart and stared her down. She met his eyes and could see what Fox had meant; his eyes held the same gaze as a wolf. '_Fitting,'_ she thought, for he was one.

"Who are you?"

Link broke the silence with a voice that sounded hoarse from lack of use, and she was pulled from her musings. He didn't recognize her. It should have been a compliment to her disguise, a sign that she had done well with her magic; instead she felt a twinge of disappointment.

"I am Sheik," she answered curtly, then inwardly winced. It seemed part of her bitterness leaked out and he narrowed his eyes.

"Sheik the Sheikah?" He wasn't mocking her, that she could tell. But why would he know anything about the Sheikah? Only a scholar would bother reading up on Hyrule historia.

She nodded, not trusting herself to answer. He slowly walked towards her as a predator would creep to its prey, and the irony that he saved her kingdom a few months before did not go past her.

"What did Master Hand want from you?" There it was again; the same hostility as Fox's crept into his voice and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He must have overheard the intercom and sought her out.

Zelda stepped forward, though she wished she hadn't for she had to strain her neck to lock eyes with him. "I grabbed his interest." She kept an impassive gaze, silently daring him to challenge her words.

He stared hard at her for a moment, then relented. He nodded and reached out his hand, "Link."

She thought about telling him everything in that moment, her identity, the vision and possible impending doom. She thought about telling him what shouldn't have felt as important: her anger at his silence for the past few months, her fear in the new world she found herself in; she almost told him all of it.

Instead, she took his hand and shook it, "Sheik." The sides of his mouth twitched and he nodded, "I know." Then he turned and entered the room across from hers.

She wasn't sure when she entered her own room, nor when she placed her pack at the foot of her new bed. She was only aware that when she pulled the covers over herself, she still held the small Fox. She smiled, _perhaps her luck hasn't run out yet._

* * *

**A/N:**

**Anyone remember Bongo Bongo from OoT? *Shivers* If you don't, look him up. The only worse thing than that was the creepy blood marshmallow with stubby arms.**

**All of that build up, and here we are. A dose of both Master Hand AND Link. I hope it was worth it... I'm really interested in what you thought of MH and Link, they were harder than I thought they would be! **

**These chapters are getting longer every time, 3,500+ Don't say I don't care about my readers! Please tell me your thoughts on anything and everything :D**

**I'm not sure what else to put here. Have a nice week(s), until next time! **


	6. Music in the Walls

**I'm back! And with a new chapter for all of you lovelies (: Thanks to all of my new followers/favorites, and a triple thanks to my awesome reviewers! Hearing from you guys makes my day, and I go over them whenever I hit a block in my writing. Thanks for being awesome.**

**Also, I've hit 2,000 views! Wowza!**

**I know I probably should have put this in before, but here's a pronunciation guide:**

**Melo: Me-low**

**Hanta (from ch. 2): Hahn-ta**

**Hyrule: High-rule**

**Hylian: High-lian**

**Those last ones are obviously not from me, but they're there for any who aren't familiar with Zelda. That's how I pronounce them anyway; some of you may have other opinions and that's chill.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros. or any Nintendo/Capcom-affiliated character.**

* * *

… _She was stunning, made out of fairy dust and stars. She smiled and the afterglow fluttered like a thousand butterflies. _

_Zelda looked away from her, wanted to forget once again. A hand lifted her chin and the touch burned like fire._

_She closed her eyes for she knew the woman's gaze was level to hers, and she couldn't, wouldn't, _won't _look.__ For she knew that in those depths lay the future of all she held dear, and it scared her (more than she knew)._

The warm touch of sunlight fell on Zelda's face and she awoke from her slumber, the heaviness of exhaustion lingering in her bones. She could still feel the touch of fire on her chin, and she touched the spot with her hand. Whatever she had just dreamed was no ordinary dream. Something was off; she _knew_ she should have recognized the woman. She knew it with all of her might.

It could very well be one of her ancestors. The women of the Royal Family were notorious for receiving visions and messages from the dead. She smiled, '_Even the spirits are trying to speak to me.'_ She stirred and rose from her bed; whatever she had dreamed would be revealed to her in time.

She stepped lightly to the window and frowned. Light danced through the curtains when the window shouldn't have even existed; she never did ask Fox how it was possible for there to be sunlight when they were underground.

Outside, the city was slowly awakening from its slumber. People wandered out of the buildings onto the streets, and the hovering boxes floated to the skies one by one. Reaching forward her fingertips barely grazed the glass before the view shifted into snow dusted mountains. She jerked her hand back; what just happened?

She touched the window again and the view became a forest with sunlight dripping through the treetops_._She switched through the pictures several times until she kept her favorite one: a plush meadow that carpeted rolling hills, ripe with daisies and wild flowers.

As Zelda was quickly discovering in this new world, technology was a very powerful thing indeed.

She changed into a fresh Sheikah suit and laid her old one out to wash later, re-braiding her hair to look presentable. The fox figurine was nestled between the bed sheets and she dug it out, tying it to her belt with tweed. She would give it to Fox later after his match.

_After Fox's match._

Oh, Goddesses! She had completely forgotten about it, and now she might even be _late!_ Zelda grabbed a lump of bread from her pack and stuffed it in her mouth; there wasn't any time for breakfast.

She almost made it to her bedroom door until she felt a familiar magic near: _Sheikah magic._

"Melo."

The Sheikah stepped out from the shadows slowly as if he were a scolded child. "Good morning, Your Majesty." He bowed but she stared him down until he cracked. "I didn't know when to come and get you, so I waited outside until I knew you were awake." At her silence he added, "I didn't come in till I knew you were decent, I swear!"

She thought about waiting a while longer, if only to get a morbid satisfaction out of his squirming, but relented. He could have stayed hidden but he allowed her to sense his presence.

For that she smiled and his face lit up. _'If only everyone could be this easily pleased.' _He looked at the bread hanging out of her mouth and quirked his eyebrow, "Are you late for something?" _That's right. _Zelda checked to see if the hallway was empty and grabbed Melo's arm, hauling him out the door.

"I'm supposed to watch Fox McCloud in a fight this morning," she said after chewing around the bread. "Ah, I see... Do you know where the arena is?"

She took out the crumpled map from her pocket and straightened the creases from it, "It's on the top level." Melo nodded, "We should probably find the lifter box." She looked at him confused, "Do you mean the elevator?" He grinned and scratched at his head, "Is that what they call them? Because it is quite literally a box that lifts. Odd." He had a point, but she chose to ignore it and didn't reply.

They walked down the maze of hallways and Zelda told Melo about her meeting with Master Hand. He stayed silent for a while, leading her down the same yellow hall that Fox had led her through the night before. Finally, he spoke, "Do you think you're here to take him down?"

Zelda waited before responding; the thought had crossed her mind before. "It's a possibility, but one I'll wait on until I am sure of it. If he is only a corrupt businessman I don't want to chance an attack too soon. I've only just arrived, after all."

Melo nodded, "That is a wise choice." Before he could say anymore the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and she only had to glance at him before he faded into the shadows. Zelda placed her cowl back over her mouth and stood at attention.

"Oh! Hello there!" A bubbly voice carried down the hall; it was the young blond woman from the night before. She hitched her skirts up and ran down the hall surprisingly fast for her attire, her heels making muffled _thumps_ on the carpet with each step.

She was rather pretty in a vibrant way, everything about her was color. From her petal lips to the rosy hue on her cheeks, she looked the epitome of vitality. The scent of strawberries and vanilla kissed the air and Zelda felt it was perfect for her. "How are you?" The woman smiled and Zelda was taken aback some.

Smoothing out her uniform she replied, "I am well. And you?" The woman laughed, the sound as bright as a bell. "Wonderful! I am Peach, and it is lovely to meet you." Peach curtsied and held out a dainty hand. Not quite sure what to do with the hand, Zelda took it and bowed, "Sheik, from Hyrule. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

Peach beamed at her,"Now that introductions are over, let's see the others! They're dying to meet you." _The others?_ She grabbed Zelda's arm with surprising force and pulled her down the hall.

Zelda looked for Melo and spotted him gesturing towards her, _Would you like me to handle this? _She shook her head slightly to the left and Melo disappeared from sight.

"Excuse me, Peach, but I have a…previous engagement." It was hard to seem poised when she was being dragged by her arm like some unruly child.

Peach stopped, the leftover momentum shooting Zelda forward and she smiled sheepishly, "Oops! Mario always says I struggle with this."She hummed in consideration before asking, "Is it something we can do on the way?"

_We? _Zelda cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. "I promised a friend I would watch him fight." Peach perked up immediately and Zelda knew she wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

"You mean Fox? There's only one brawl at a time, and that's where everyone is! Perfect," she smiled again and Zelda only nodded back, at least she would meet the others.

They entered the elevator and Zelda tightly gripped the holding bar with both hands. Peach eyed her, "You don't like elevators much, do you?" At Zelda's nod Peach smiled "Well, I'm sure you'll get used to it. It's better than the alternative, with all these floors! And I thought _my_ castle was huge."

_Castle?_ "Are you a princess?" Peach tilted her head to the side before her face flushed. "Oh my! Mario always says I do that too! Yes, I'm the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom." Zelda thought back to all of the mushroom men she had seen around the city.

"Your people are mushrooms?" Peach laughed as if the whole idea was silly, waving her hand, "No, they're Toads." Zelda couldn't help but think they looked more like mushrooms than toads, but she held her tongue.

The elevator stopped and Zelda managed to stay on her feet with only a slight wobble; Peach to her credit helped her regain balance without complaint. The doors slid open with a _ding_ to reveal what was easily the most impressive room in the building. It was the size of the Castle courtyard and tiled with silver floors and walls, shined to the point where their reflections gazed back at them. Several counters were set up around the room, some holding booths while others admitted fans through gates into doors on either side of a large black wall.

Employees rushed across the floor, some holding little squares in their hands that would light up and sing. Floating screens hovered above and around them, each with their own moving pictures.

One floated by as they walked, a woman's voice projecting off the sides of it. "_Welcome to Smash Central, where heroes from across the universe battle for glory and honor…"_

Peach didn't spare it a glance and tugged Zelda along, weaving through throngs of excited fans and dashing employees. She took her to a silver counter that had no line, the Toad sitting behind it waving them past. Several onlookers flashed bright lights at them and Peach giggled, smiling graciously at the people who tugged on her skirt. Zelda followed behind silently, more or less her shadow.

They walked to the black wall past the counter and stopped; now that they were closer Zelda could see her reflection perfectly. It was like a black mirror, only it reflected the people and not the room. _'How strange,' _she thought. What could it be made of?

Peach smiled knowingly, "This is how to get to the active arena. It will teleport us to the others." She stepped forward and took out a golden chain with a key attached, pressing it to the wall. To Zelda's astonishment the key sank as if the wall was liquid, the onyx mass enveloping the key only to spit out the chain.

A scratch formed on the wall that stretched towards the ground to form a door, the Smash logo glowing in the center. "Your room key acts as a ticket to the arenas. Try not to lose it! I know from experience," she giggled then, waving the golden chain in one hand and pushed open the door with the other.

The room was decently sized and obviously made for comfort. A soft blue carpet was spread over dark wood, and overstuffed couches sat facing the walls. Small rotating tables hovered several feet above the ground and lowered drinks to thirsty patrons. The design was the same as the large room from where she came from, silver and smooth: flawless. The walls, though, were easily the most impressive quality of the room.

They were completely see-through.

Audience members sat so closely that she could easily tap one on the shoulder, if not for the pane of glass that separated them. One man, decked in an over sized mockery of a nose with a fake bushy mustache, looked right at her but didn't even blink. His eyes glazed over her without interest and acted as if she weren't even there.

"It's a one-sided mirror."

The voice was low and masculine, definitely not Peach's. Zelda turned to see a tall man cloaked in a tattered cape that had seen better days. His most shocking feature was his navy blue hair, determined to point out in large spikes from behind his red tie.

Peach stepped through the doorway behind Zelda and retrieved her key, exchanging niceties with a stout man she called Mario. Zelda looked towards the tall man, "What do you mean by one-sided?"

"It means that to them, they only see their own reflections," he explained patiently as if he were used to answering questions. "I'm Ike, by the way." He held out his hand and she shook it, earning a dazzling smile from Peach who had wandered to her side with Mario in tow. "Sheik, this is Mario, my hero!"

He blushed and gave a small laugh, "I just do what anyone would, if they could." Zelda saw it in his eyes if not his words. He was humble, and that was one of the greatest traits a person could have. She bowed, "Courage does not just belong to anyone, Mario."

Peach's mouth went into a small O, Mario's face reddening even deeper. "Stop that, you'll give him an aneurysm," Falcon strode through the wall with Samus trailing behind him, her expression completely blank while his was as eccentric as ever.

They strode over to their small group circled in the center of the room, Ike taking his leave to sit on one of the couches. Falcon looked down his nose at her, "Are you excited to see your first brawl?" Zelda stared through the window towards the stage; it was small compared to the rest of the stadium.

The stage was a flat gray surface, nothing particularly special about it except for the long silver lines that crisscrossed through the middle like vines. A long pole supported it in the center, holding the platform above a bottomless pit. The drop was coated in inky blackness and Zelda could only wonder what the fall led to.

"I suppose, though I am not so sure how a fight here will pan out." They stared at her in mixed degrees of shock, Peach finally breaking the silence, "You don't know how a brawl works?" Mario shook his head towards the princess, "No, I think she means she doesn't know what the rules of the stage are."

He smiled reassuringly at Zelda, "Don't worry, none of us know. The rules are always a surprise to the rest of us; only the fighters know if the brawl will be specialized or not." At Zelda's blank look his eyes widened, "You don't know how a brawl works?"

Zelda shook her head and Falcon groaned, "Alright, don't tell anyone else. You'll be marked as a target around here." They sat her down away from the other smashers who were arriving, each explaining any rule they deemed important to relay.

"And if you get a flower on your head, knock it off. It racks up damage!" Peach insisted on nitpicking every possible situation while Mario nodded in agreement, adding his own advice when he felt it was needed. Falcon was probably the most helpful, sticking with the basics "Basically, try to get as many KO's as you can." At everyone's stare Samus deadpanned, "Try not to get knocked off."

Falcon looked at the bounty hunter, his face twisted before he shrugged, "I guess that's as good as any."

"_Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Super Smash Bros., the center of champions!" _The announcer interrupted them and the noise was deafening from outside, the crowds hollering and waving as the lights in the stadium dimmed. It didn't make the stadium any darker, however, as there was no roof. Natural daylight fanned across the thousands of people situated in the stands.

"There's the score board," Falcon pointed at a large screen that hovered above the stage, the logo of a mushroom flashing in the corner.

"C'mon, I'll show you something neat," Falcon brought her to the window and touched the glass; the wall zoomed in as if they were on the stage and the fans were cheering for them instead. "Cool, huh? This way you get the full experience," he grinned, plopping down on one of the couches where Samus perched on its arm.

Peach, Mario, and Ike were already sharing another couch and Zelda took the empty one beside it, briefly wondering what Melo thought of the stadium. '_He's probably having the time of his life,' _she smiled, his admiration for the brawls was easy for anyone to see.

"Oh, Link! You made it!"

Zelda whipped her head to see the man in question step through the black door looking slightly disarrayed. He looked Zelda's way and nodded, turning to sit on one of the wooden chairs in the corner. "Link, there's a seat for you right here," Peach pointed towards Zelda and the she traded a long stare with him. Link stood still for so long she believed he would ignore Peach, but at the last second he turned and walked to the couch.

If she hadn't been looking for it, Zelda wouldn't have noticed the way Falcon let out the tiniest breath, or the way Mario's fist slowly unclenched. It seemed Fox wasn't the only one wary of Link.

But Peach smiled, her bright eyes shining with pride and she started gossiping about the latest news with the others. Link sat stiffly on the edge of the couch and stared straight ahead without a greeting.

"_Now to introduce our fighters! From the city of Corneria we have the leader of the Starfox team, Fox McCloud!" _The vulpine was lifted on a small silver platter like a main dish and placed down on the stage as the crowd went wild. He waved to the crowd and flashed his white pointed teeth.

"_And also from the city of Corneria, the ace pilot Falco Lombardi!"_

_ He's fighting Falco?_ The room of smashers quieted to a grim silence, and the vibration of the mechanics in the floating tables was a constant hum in the air. The audience was oblivious to their somber mood, however, and the cheering grew louder; some fans looked as if they were about to pass out. Falco ignored them and stepped off of his disk, all the while staring at Fox. The vulpine stopped waving and walked towards Falco, extending his hand.

Falco swatted it away.

For a brief moment Fox's face fell, but he smiled back even harder and went into position, the bird following suit. Zelda narrowed her eyes, _what had happened between them?_ Granted they weren't on the best of terms the night before, but Fox led her to believe they were at least friends.

Falcon mumbled a curse from his spot on the couch and sighed, running a hand over his head. "So he's going to play that way, eh?"

"_Stock rules apply. One life, last one standing wins. Stage setting: Luigi's Mansion!"_

The entire stadium became covered in a dark fog so thick Zelda couldn't see her own hand. Contrary to the pandemonium crowds of people liked to create, there weren't any screams or gasps echoing in the stadium. In fact, it was as if the phenomenon was expected. In moments the fog cleared and she gasped. They weren't in the stadium any longer.

Zelda wasn't sure _where_ they were.

The stadium was completely gone, everything shrouded in darkness except for the stage. A large moon glowed eerily behind the most twisted building Zelda had seen, a dilapidated mansion that glared with a murky window gaze. The windows were tilted inwards, the doors swinging slightly in a cold wind that began to blow. The greenery was almost black with sickness and long tendrils of moss curled in the air.

All of this was supported on a thin rock pillar that looked as if it would crumble any second.

Zelda could feel the chill in her veins and hear the moaning of the rotted wood, yet she wasn't even on the stage. Fox and Falco weren't fazed at all; they simply stood on the roof waiting for their signal.

She was distracted by Mario and Peach's harsh whispering, Mario had his brows furrowed and looked increasingly agitated, "…it's despicable…Luigi…" His words became more furious and harder to understand, his eyebrows furrowing together until they became one solid line. Peach placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to calm him down, but she looked liked she was fraying at the ends as well.

"_Three, two, one…Go!"_

While she was looking away the battle had begun, and she turned in time to see Falco land a kick to Fox's face. The vulpine flew off the roof and landed in a heap on the ground, tail bent at an odd angle. Zelda gasped and held a hand to her mouth. _Was he alright?_

Fox flipped to his feet and grinned, waving Falco down from his perch. The bird obliged and soared down the wall, Fox darting out of the way.

Their speed was incredible; the two were a blur. They crashed through a wall and Falco lunged towards Fox, slicing the air with his wings to catch the vulpine in the jaw. Blood spurted from the cut but he ignored it, ducking low underneath Falco's next slice.

They jumped and twirled through the different rooms, scrapes speckled their faces from where the wood splintered. Falco pulled out a strange device and spurts of light burned into Fox's jacket. He winced but stayed on the defensive. In fact, he had hardly attacked at all.

The vulpine looked horrible, blood matting his fur and a dislocated arm dangled by his side, his tail crooked. It was getting hard to watch him get beaten to a pulp; Zelda's hand wandered down to her waist where the figurine was tied.

Fox dove over an old dining room table and dragged the heavy brocade covering, spilling the dusty candelabras and plates to the floor in a clatter. Glass shattered to the floor as Falco kicked a china cabinet across the room and Fox barely dodged it. He was beginning to tire, it was easy to see in the way he threw himself like a ragdoll.

Falco was about to land another blow, possibly the last, when the walls began to sing.

Music blared throughout the stadium and echoed in the air, both fighters stopping briefly in their fight to glance around. Beside her, Link leaned forward. The glow from the fake moon cast shadows across his face, "This isn't right."

Zelda turned to face him in surprise, silently encouraging him to continue. He acted as if he hadn't spoken at all however, so she cleared her throat, "What do you mean?" He turned as if he had forgotten she was there, eyes widening the slightest fraction before replying, "The music. It's not right."

Zelda looked at the others in the room; they wore mixed degrees of shock and confusion. Other smashers in the room walked to the window and stood, the crowd of them hovering behind the glass. The air dripped with the disjointed sounds, an out-of-tune music box that looped in sequences, static signaling the beginning of a phrase. Samus whispered something in Falcon's ear and he nodded grimly, the two of them leaving through the black wall.

Someone-Peach, she later discovered- gasped, and Zelda swiveled her head to the screen where the wood underneath Falco started to splinter. Fox saw it first and cried out in warning, but was it too late.

The horrible sound of rotten floorboards splitting echoed across the stage, and Falco only had a second of warning before he dropped through the floor.

He gave a cry and latched onto the edge, splinters dug into his wings and he tried to pull himself up; below him was an endless darkness, the end of the stage. Zelda glanced towards Fox to see what he would do. He had the perfect opening yet he stood with wide eyes, shaking his head before he rose to action.

He got onto his knees and inched across the weak wood to extend a hand to Falco. The bird swatted the arm away only for Fox to try again, insistent. He furrowed his brows, broken tail twitching uselessly behind him and said something that made Falco yell back. Zelda couldn't read animal lips, but by the way Fox's eyes burned she assumed it was something awful.

He lunged forward, all precaution forgotten to haul Falco up by his forearms, the bird hissing and kicking for him to let go. It seemed to go on forever; Fox grunting in pain as Falco's weight tore the scratches on his working arm, Falco struggling until he accepted his fate. It wasn't until they were both safely away from the hole that Zelda allowed herself to breathe.

Beside her, Link only tensed further and leaned in until he was hardly on the couch. When Zelda would look back on it later, she would remember his eyes: the hardened gaze of a man who had seen too much. Only he knew what would happen next.

It happened in a sequence. Fox slowly got to his feet and winced when his dislocated arm was jostled, Falco laying still on the floor. He turned to the bird with a grin on his face, opening his mouth to say what she could only assume would be something sarcastic. He never got to say it.

His head flipped forward when Falco kicked him square in the chest, knocking him straight into the pit.

Fox's body fell through the stage floor, past the pillar of earth and into the inky black depths. Eyes closed, he looked asleep except for the line of blood that trickled out of his mouth.

As he fell to his defeat-

He smiled.

* * *

**A/N:**

**This took longer than I planned because I had to rewrite the ENTIRE thing. Seriously, the first draft was terrible; the plot was everywhere and my character drafts were so atrocious that it was funny in a "Pity me!" sort of way. **

**I'm super interested in hearing what you guys have to say, and I'll be eagerly waiting, scanning my account every other hour. Trust me, I have a life.**

**EDIT 9/17/14 I changed the title of the story and the intro of the prologue. It's been sitting on my mind for a while now, and I would LOVE to hear what you guys think!**

**EDIT 9/18/14 Wow, lots of edits. I've changed ch. 4 a bit because it has been brought to my attention how ludicrous this idea was: Impa and Zelda would be completely fine with Melo having knowledge of separate portals. I wrote something that kind of fixed it; it's towards the beginning of the chapter if anyone had any trouble believing that as well. Sorry for any confusion!**

**Thanks for reading, see you next week!**


	7. Star Fox

**Hi! How was your guys' week? *pause* That's good to hear! Thanks for all of your lovely reviews! And welcome, all you new followers/favorites! I'm trying something new this week: I'm responding to my reviews. It's not exactly revolutionary haha, but you guys are so lovely that I think I need to thank you personally. Sorry to my past reviews, I'm only responding to this chapter's/week's, but that doesn't mean you're not all appreciated. I love you all!**

**Also: I combined chapter 2 and 3 because I felt that having three chapters of just Hyrule is hard for non-Zelda gamers to follow. I know that if it was a solid Fire Emblem beginning, I would have a hard time following. So if the lack of one chapter alarmed you, don't worry! Everything is still the same!**

**Reader: Thank you so much! I know others are looking forward to Zelda's reveal, so I hope I won't disappoint!**

**Inuyasha Armin Scarlet: I always look forward to your reviews (: I'm super glad that you enjoyed the battle scene! I wasn't sure I'd be very good (which is kind of bad because this is based off of a fighting game). I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter!**

**Guest: You are so kind, thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the real-fight style, I felt it would give it more suspense and drama. Hope to see (hear, read?) you next time!**

**michi: Thanks haha(: I'll see if I can fit Marth in at some point soon, I'm trying to stick in the characters that will help the plot flow nicely.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or SSBB.**

* * *

Zelda could remember her first shooting star.

It was with her father and Impa, just the three of them out in the open expanse of Hyrule Field. The night sky was dappled with brilliant stars, and the Cheshire grin of the waxing moon above hung over them.

She remembered seeing it: a thin silver streak across the black expanse, lasting the blink of an eye before vanishing without fanfare.

She had brought her favorite crocheted blanket with her and it draped her small shoulders, scratching the back of her extended neck as she looked for the stars that left tails of silver.

_"Papa, where do the stars go?" Her father lightly chuckled beside her, "The stars don't have a destination, child. They fly."_

She returned to the same spot five months after her father had passed and Impa had left. She stood where she had once sat, without the warmth of her childhood blanket or companions, and waited. Zelda stood there for hours, long into the night looking for the same magic that she had once felt all those years ago. She never found it.

She knew then that her father was wrong all those years ago; stars didn't fly.

They fell.

A flash of light, so bright that it burned her retinas, filled the stadium and reality rushed back. Confetti now littered the gray and indistinguishable stage that used to be a dark expanse.

The audience had returned, shocked into silence before a tentative chant of Falco's name was tossed throughout the crowd before it grew, one solid voice of thousands. The bird stood dazed from the sudden praise and he flinched when he was raised on a disk like a trophy.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, your champion: Falco Lombardi!"_ The crowds grew in confidence and their cheers shook the air as fireworks bloomed in the stadium. Falco's eyes widened, and a smile slowly found its way onto his beak before he rose his wings in triumph, shaking his fists with a battle cry.

Link made a sound of disgust and left through the wall; his sudden departure sparked everyone back to life.

"I can't believe...I-" Peach's mouth opened and closed, her face couldn't settle on shock or sorrow and ended up being a mixture of the two.

Mario laid his hand on her shoulder and drew her in, "He'll be okay. He's probably in the infirmary at this moment, and we all know the kind of stuff they have here. Fox'll be up and biting in no time."

Zelda's ears perked at this information. _He'll be okay. _Zelda rose from her spot and stepped lightly to the black wall, placing her hand on the smooth surface.

If what Peach had said before was true, and she was sure it was, she should be able to return to the other room with her key. She pulled it out, the comfortable weight resting in her palm before she pressed it against the wall.

It felt as if someone had stuck a thread in her hand and was pulling at it, a string lightly tugging at her skin until the door had finished carving itself out. Zelda glanced at her hand, half expecting to see a needle sticking through. This wall did not run on technology.

Whoever created it, and whenever (for she sensed an ancient power), was gifted with magic. Probably more so than herself.

Zelda stepped through the door and her feet barely made a sound in the chaos of the other room. A slight prickle ran down her spine when a crowd of people, all different sizes and races, surrounded her with rods and flashing lights.

She recognized the Toads, although they looked sickly compared to the others she had seen. There were a few humans and apes, several red lumps with yellow faces. The list only grew stranger after that.

One human, a hairy man that leered down at her shoved a rod in her face. "What are your thoughts on- wait a minute, _who the heck are you_?"

_The paparazzi._ These must be who Fox was telling her about. She sidestepped them and kept her head down, weaving through the crowds of people while he yelled after her, "_Hey, get back here! _I wasn't finished-" Someone else must have appeared through the wall for he cut off after that.

Zelda passed Link as he was hounded mercilessly by a small ring of Toads, _"What do you think of the veteran's defeat?" "Will Fox McCloud ever step away from this humiliating defeat?" "What is your relationship status?"_

He looked as stone faced as ever except for the slightest twitch in his eyes. She decided to leave him to his fate and walked on, smiling slightly when she heard one of the Toads yelp in surprise when Link shoved his way through the ring.

She hid behind a large screens floating off to the side. The fight was being played back in different angles and speeds; she cringed slightly when Fox's fall was detailed in slow motion and quickly slipped into the shadows, Melo appearing by her side in the darkness.

"Take me to the infirmary."

* * *

They ran while cloaked in the shadows, through empty corridors and crowded rooms. Every so often they would frighten a passerby with the shift in air and the poor souls would flinch with wide eyes; Melo couldn't stop grinning.

They traveled down deep into the earth before Melo slowed their descent. They were several levels above the living quarters, but not by much. The halls smelled sterile at that point, the air pungent of bleach and other cleaning supplies. Everything was white; the walls, the floors, even the lights. The only door that was open was towards the far end of the hall, and it was flooded with a constant stream of white garbed doctors.

Melo pointed to the door and she nodded, the two of them heading down the hall until they hovered outside the doorway. If anything, the smell was even worse. The underlying current of body fluids mixed with the anesthetics and fresh blood was nauseating. The room wasn't much to look at. The walls were plain except for some medical charts, and the only sound was the hushed whispering of the medics and a few _beep's _from a box on a pole.

On the lone bed surrounded by personnel lay Fox, horribly out of place with his bright orange fur. He looked small amongst the bandages and wires attached to him, but he certainly did not look weak. Even in sleep he held a grin.

Zelda and Melo stayed in the shadows and watched for several hours. They watched as the medics hovered around the bed, replacing soiled bandages and ice packs until only one nurse remained, one who had set a tray of food on a small table near the door. Her job finished, she brushed her hands off until she, too, had left.

Once it became apparent that Fox wouldn't wake soon, she nodded to Melo and they crept back towards the door.

"Come on out, don't be shy. I won't bite."

Fox's growling voice filled the sterile air with a surprising strength to it. She turned from Melo who stood in mild shock to the vulpine in the bed. He wasn't looking right at her, but rather around the room, analyzing every crevice of the room with a critical eye.

Zelda held a hand up to Melo and mouthed, '_Don't reveal yourself'. _He nodded and gave her a thumbs up in response. She stepped out from the shadows and interestingly enough the beeping skipped a beat, Fox's eyes only widening a fraction before he smoothly painted a grin on his face.

"Cool trick, princess. Nice of you to visit me." He patted the chair beside his bed and she sat down silently. He looked around for a while more, frowning before he turned his attention back to her. "To what do I owe this honor?"

She looked at him closely; despite the obvious bandages around his chest and arms, he looked fine. Almost healthy even, as if his wounds were weeks and not hours old. "How do you look so healthy?" He chuckled lightly, though it was tinged with a breathlessness that she didn't like. "The food."

She looked at him oddly and he laughed outright before clutching his chest, and pointed at the food near the door. "Could you bring me that? The lady put it completely out of reach." She handed him the plate and he took a chunk of bread roll and swallowed it, a dim swirl of light briefly traveling down his body. His eyes lit up with energy.

"It's medicated. Comes from Kirby's place, I think. Anyways, this stuff will heal up any scar and scrape in just a minute." Zelda glanced at his tail which still hung slightly crooked over the side of his bed. "Even bones?" Fox smiled, "Even bones. Though those take longer, up to days. Point is though, I'll be out of here in no time."

Fox lightly tugged at one of the wires attached to his fur before leaving it, turning his attention to her once again, "But you're not here to talk about my quick recovery, are you?" She marveled how he managed to say it without making it sound like an accusation.

She decided to get right to the point. "What happened out there?"

His face darkened slightly before it settled on a careful neutral, "Out there?" He barked a sharp heavy laugh, "Out there was brawl. People don't come here to make friends, princess."

"But don't _you_ have friends here? Wasn't Falco once your friend?"

Fox stared at a point on the wall behind her, "He still is."

Zelda leaned in and her voice softened, "Then what happened out there?" Fox blinked and he smiled; it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm still figuring that out. I'll get back to you on it." Fox stared at her for a few seconds before a lone R.O.B. rolled past the doorway, its black eyes blinking once at them before it continued on its way.

He scoffed and tried to sit up to no avail; it seemed his ribs may have been broken. "He's checking up on lil' ole me already? I feel so lucky." Before she could ask what he meant he cleared his throat impatiently, "The Hand likes to keep tabs on his smashers. Sometimes he pops in, but mostly he uses his spies."

"The R.O.B.?" He nodded his head and she continued, "Yet they mandate the crime on the streets?" Fox shrugged in response, "Not quite, they're different. The R.O.B are a type of security that are supplied for the main areas of Smash Central. The streets, shopping centers, any place that's crowded. I guess they're similar to your knights or rangers, whatever you have over there," he waved a hand. "Although they're automated, put on a code." At her look he added, "They don't have a mind of their own."

Looking around the room, he narrowed his eyes, "The tournament is supposed to use the R.O.B for crowd control, and some of them are in use. But there aren't as many R.O.B. as there should be."

"What do you mean?"

Fox lowered his voice and he leaned in, "I mean that the amount of people here could easily warrant the use of a thousand R.O.B., yet there are only, at _most_, a hundred or so in public." Zelda understood where he was going with this. If there were more R.O.B., Master Hand would have to have them in his possession. And if that was one secret, there were bound to be more.

She had some investigating to do later.

Fox mumbled to himself, "...music." He looked up so fast that he almost knocked heads with her, "Did you hear the music too?" She nodded and his brow furrowed. "Has that ever happened before?" Fox shook his head slowly, "Never. Not even before the tournament closed." He laid his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes, sighing deeply. "Probably Master Hand. It's always the Hand."

He looked about ready to pass out, his breathing already steadying. Zelda silently untied the miniature Fox from her belt and placed it beside his pillow, he would find it when he woke up. She rose from her chair and his breath hitched.

"Sheik," Fox sounded timelessly old in that moment, "I don't know what's going on."

She looked back towards the bed but he was already in a deep sleep, soft snores escaping his nose.

Zelda nodded, "I know."

* * *

**A/N: Shorter than the last two, but this seemed the best place to stop. This chapter was harder for me to write. I had it all planned out, I just didn't know what to reveal and when. I have a lot planned, so I'm worried about revealing it all at once in too short a time. Is the pace too slow for you? Too fast? Please let me know what you guys think!**


	8. Room of Worlds

**A/N:**

**Sorry this is later! School kicked me in the face and I had to scramble for time to work on this. But I managed! **

**Inuyasha Armin Scarlet: I'm so happy that you enjoyed the bit with the star! I really hope to instill bits of Zelda's memories with the experiences she has, I feel it makes her more human. And character development...isn't it wonderful? You can't ever have too much of that!**

**Friend: Wowza! I thought I was the only one who said that? You must tell me what you think of this chapter! And upload your own stories(; My eye trick is improving, slowly but surely...**

**Guest reader: Thanks for the review! I don't want to spoil anything, but keep on your toes this chapter...**

**michi: Hey again! Thanks for understanding, you're awesome! I put a little something in here for you, I'm not sure if you'll love it but I found a spot! And thank you SO much for saying that about Fox! I feel like I've made him a little too 'Hans Solo' instead of 'Luke Skywalker', (who he is mostly compared to), but I'm satisfied with the result. _Psst: he's one of my favorites to write dialogue__ for..._**

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews and favorites/follows! My face explodes for every one I get. With that imagery, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros. or The Legend of Zelda. I only own my OC's and this plot. (Hopefully).**

* * *

"Are you certain that you know the way back?"

"More certain than anything else."

It was the morning after Fox's fight. They were back in her room, a paper bag filled with stolen food from the kitchens spread out on her bed between them. _"It's not stealing,"_ Melo had said in defense. _"After all, you'll be repaying them later when you save their lives, right?"_ She stayed silent after that; after all, she hadn't eaten a real meal since she had left home.

Zelda knew that it was time to send Melo back to Hyrule. Although the original plan was for him to stay for a few more days, enough had happened in the last 24 hours that Impa would need to be informed of. She would be lying, though, if she said that wasn't her only reason. Zelda couldn't help but feel slightly concerned despite the capable hands Hyrule was in. After all, she had never been so far away from home.

She munched on salted strips of potato while Melo marked the sections he explored on her map. "This is the main training ground for smashers, everybody uses it." He circled an area with a red stick-_marker_, she was reminded- and pointed to the floor right above it. "If you're interested in the shops, they're right here...although I _have_ heard the prices are outrageous." He frowned and tried to wipe the marker off; to her dismay the red smeared outside of the line marking the Dome's wall.

"Have you any news of Master Hand's room?"

Melo shook his head, "Couldn't find it anywhere. I didn't have the time to investigate the lower levels though, so it may be there." Zelda hummed in response; the Hand might not even be staying at the Dome. If so, it would make her job that much harder.

"Would you like me to accompany you to the portal?" Melo waved her off; he was already standing at the door with his pack in hand. "No need. I'll see you soon, and hopefully with good news." He chuckled lightly and gave her a thumbs up. She returned it, making him laugh outright before he slipped into the shadows, out the door and into the world beyond.

Zelda had to admit, the room was a little colder without the Sheikah's presence. Deciding that the room was too gloomy for her, she strode out into the hall. A few Toads walked by, some keeping their heads down as they quickly ran by her. '_What odd creatures,' she_ thought as one squeaked when they accidentally bumped into her.

She got into the elevator and the doors almost closed before someone stuck their hand through. Zelda gasped in alarm and wedged her hands between the doors; surprisingly, they gave way with hardly an ounce of protest.

Zelda followed the freed gloved hand's arm up to the green tunic sleeves, up until she reached a familiar green floppy hat.

"That was _incredibly_ foolish."

It was out before she could stop herself and Link widened his eyes in surprise before shrugging in response.

"…"

"Hmm?"

"...I don't have to use this one, if you wish."

"Ah. No, it's alright." She stepped to the side and he walked in, his heavy boots thumping onto the padded floor of the lift. The doors closed after him and he pressed one of the buttons on the side with a soft _click_.

They both settled into place and immediately the silence between them was claustrophobic. Zelda decided to break it, "...Isn't it strange that these elevators are called 'elevators'? ...Wouldn't it make more sense if they were...called 'lifter boxes'?" She cringed beneath her mask; Melo made it sound so natural whereas she fumbled over every other word.

Link stared her down and she almost found herself shrinking beneath it. He finally turned and faced the closed elevator doors, the light at the top flashing the levels passing by, _11_, _12, 13..._

"Yeah, I guess so."

He brushed off a few nonexistent specks of dirt from his sleeve and shuffled his feet, appraising her from the corner of his eye. She met his eyes and he turned away, blinking once. "You seem familiar."

Now it was her turn to shuffle her feet, "Really?" He looked at her unimpressed and nodded. Zelda reached towards her belt where the miniature Fox used to be but grasped air before remembering she had returned it. She placed a hand on her hip instead, "I should think anyone from our world would seem familiar at this point." Link waited for several moments before nodding his head slowly, his eyes downcast before he looked back at her, "I suppose."

A _ding_ signaled their stop and the silver doors slid open to a dimly lit room, the sound of sparring echoing from the other side. Link heard it too, for his ears twitched in response before he stepped through the doors and nodded once her way as he left.

"Link," he stopped in his tracks and waited. "What are you doing right now?" Link turned and looked at her oddly, "I'm training. Isn't that why you're here?"

_The training room._ She stepped into the room and looked more closely. The room was a dark gray and almost completely bare save for the numerous weapons hung on the wall. Some, like the battle axes and daggers, looked barely used and were covered in a fine layer of dust.

Another rack hung beside it, an assortment of peculiar items perched on top. Silver rods, turtle shells, even a tall pink flower were leaning on top of each other. Zelda smiled, Peach's advice would be useful after all.

She didn't really have a destination in mind when she set out, but the training room wasn't a bad idea. She nodded and Link kicked the toe of his boot to the ground, looking around the room once before setting his gaze on her, "...Do you know how to use the room?"

"How to use it...?" she trailed off at the look on his face and he let out a breath of air, "...If you'd like, I could show you." He took several stiff steps before looking over his shoulder to see if she would follow. He relaxed slightly when she did.

He led her to a scratch carved into the middle of the floor; at closer look it was a smaller version of the ones on the stage. A few feet away was another scratch, and another set of them after that. In fact, they lined the room as far as she could see.

Link rested his toes directly on the line and rose both of his hands, palms facing outwards with fingers spread and pushed. His hands pressed up against an invisible wall from where he stood and a blue light flashed between his fingers, dimming to a small glow as the scratch at his feet filled with light. It was like a stream of water slowly building into a river, and the floor pulsed with blue veins before the light rose like vines, forming a wall around them. It was beautiful.

A thin blue light dripped from a line carved in air and the drops slid into place, the lights forming one solid screen. The most fantastical lands were pictured: giant leaves overhanging flooded paths, floating platforms over colorful plazas; each land was completely different from the last. Mesmerized, Zelda reached out to touch a glowing picture of stars before Link grabbed her wrist. "Careful. Anything you touch will become this place."

He let go and she cradled her hand to her chest, eyeing the blue light warily, "What is this?"

"Holograms. They allow you to choose whatever stage you want to train on." So that would explain Fox's and Falco's familiarity with the mansion. She studied the different icons; in that case, any of these places could be her next battle ground. "Which one do you usually choose?" Link took a step forward and hovered a hand over the blue light, "Jungle Japes." Zelda scanned the menu but the titles weren't listed. After going through the list twice with no luck, she turned towards him. "Which one is it?"

He shook his head, "No, it's too dangerous for someone who's never been on it. Try that one," he pointed towards a flat land with a small tree in the center. She scoffed, something she only saved for the particularly stupid nobles. "By that logic, I'll never go on it at all. Would you have chosen it if I weren't here?" He nodded unabashedly and she smiled beneath her face wraps, "Then choose it and we shall go together."

She knew that he could easily prohibit her from coming; after all, she was the one who interrupted his training. He looked at her and she knew that he was thinking the same thing. But Link shifted his gaze to the menu and pressed his hand against it, "As you wish."

Light erupted from the menu where his palm had fallen and a fierce gale beat at their clothes. She closed her eyes and blocked against the blast as the gale lifted them, and the blue light burned against her eyelids until a shock of white flashed. A moment later the roar of rapids flooded her eardrums. "Open your eyes," his voice lifted over the roar and she complied.

Zelda saw a paradise.

Everything was cast in a warm glow from the orange setting sun. They were standing on a rickety wooden platform in the middle of a forest, although the trees were waxy and had more vines than leaves. It was a jungle, the kind she had only seen in children's books imported from far away lands.

Two other platforms sided hers on thin beams and she hoped it was just her imagination when one of them tilted lightly to the left. The angry river below spat spray onto her face and she backed away from the edge; it was easy to see that the current was strong enough to sweep her away.

A warm breeze tossed her braid as she watched Link sit at the edge of the platform, his feet dangling off the edge while his arms rested on the frayed rope that strung them in. Zelda turned towards the shack that rested behind her on the platform. The light was on inside and shadows-_someone_-crept by the window. She rapped her knuckle on the glass and blue light spread out from beneath her hand before fading into the surface.

"None of this is real," Link had to yell to be heard over the fury of the rapid. "I've tried before, but it's fake!" Zelda looked back at him, "Even the water?" The glow from the sun made the water burn like fire and she stared at it through the wooden planks. Link nodded and she crept to where he sat, the wood creaking in protest against her weight.

A comfortable silence fell upon them that was interrupted only by the splashes from below. A sudden thought occurred to her, "How do we leave?" There were no doors in the middle of a jungle, fake or not, and she couldn't sense any trickle of magic that signaled a portal. Link stood, "I set the room to stock. The sensors will bring us back when one of us falls."

_Oh._

Zelda stared at the rapid below where their watery reflections wavered with the current; it seemed she was doomed to jump off of what no sane person would ever jump from. But Link stepped to the edge before she could move and hovered a foot over the water, his face betraying no fear against the sloshing current below.

He started to lean forward before his eyes shot to the other side of the rapid and he slowly placed both feet back onto the ledge with a frown. She followed his gaze; off to the distance a tree was ripped in the middle, the very fabric of space ripped open where blue light filtered through. "What...?" She began and stepped forward before it felt as if a large hand were yanking her up by her braid; she cried out in pain and beside her she could hear Link do the same. Blue light rushed past her and in an instant they were back inside the training room, Falcon and a large metallic beast waiting for them outside of the scratch on the floor.

Zelda's legs gave out and she fell to the floor clutching her head; it felt as if it had split apart and was sewing itself back together. "Sheik," Falcon greeted, though his voice was tense and strained. "We were looking for you."

He offered a hand and she took it, shakily getting back to her feet. Link slowly stood and rubbed his head before glaring at Falcon. "Sorry about the interruption. It won't happen again," the captain said, she was surprised at how serious he managed to sound despite his flashy costume.

Link stared at him in silence before he turned and started up the blue menu once again. Falcon tugged at her arm and muttered, "Come on, let's go." She looked at him oddly, "At this moment?" But he had already begun to walk away, the metal beast giving a series of beeps before Zelda followed him slowly. She hesitated, _'It's rude to leave without saying goodbye.'_

She looked over her shoulder in time to see Link touch the light, and he turned as the floor and walls began to glow. She bowed to him like any Sheikah would, hoping that he would understand the gesture. But when she rose she was surprised to see Link return the bow with a fist over his heart, exactly the way she did it. He lifted his head and met her eyes as the vine of lights braided together, and before the wall completely closed he smiled.

It wasn't the same one she had seen him give Midna before she left, nor the reassuring one Zelda herself received during the fight with Ganondorf. Rather, it was a small twitch at the corner of his mouth, and from any other it would have seemed pitifully sad. But on him, it fit perfectly.

Once he was was hidden from view by the light, she turned to find the metal beast waiting for her near the elevator. It gave a jumble of beeps that sounded vaguely annoyed before leading her off to a doorway that she hadn't noticed before, the conjoined room a mirror image of the one preceding it. Falcon immediately rushed to her side.

"What-!" He bellowed, his face red before the metal beast beeped once and he visibly strained to calm himself. "What," he took a deep breath, "is wrong with you? I mean, Fox made you out to be smart, _intelligent_ even." He ran a hand down his face and paced in front of her. "Look," he held up a hand when she began to talk, "we're just looking out for you. You seem like a nice kid," Falcon trailed off before looking to the beast. "Right? She's just a kid," he fixed his narrowed eyes on her, "how old are you anyways?"

She didn't see the point but answered him anyways, "I will be nineteen years in two months." Falcon stopped in his steps and stared at her with an unreadable expression before continuing to pace. "Nineteen, young but not the youngest." The metal beast beeped from its place by the wall and Falcon nodded in agreement, "But young enough to worry about."

"Falcon, what are you going on about?" She frowned, none of this was making any sense. His face darkened, "Link isn't good, Sheik." Zelda folded her arms and leaned back, appraising the odd pair: Falcon pacing at odd intervals, the metal beast towering over them in the corner.

"Please elaborate."

He took a step towards her, "Hey, you haven't seen him fight yet. There's a fine line between competition and blood lust, anyone can see that." He stopped for a moment and seemed at war with himself before he clenched his fists, "Yeah. Yeah, I think..." He muttered before taking a deep breath and straightened, "There's something I think you should see." He strode back through the doorway to the previous training room and Zelda had no choice but to follow. The solid blue light that hid Link from view took up nearly half the room and the scratches on the floor pulsed with the glow.

Falcon pressed the wall of light and a menu popped up. He began to tap a series of icons and buttons and every time his hand came into contact with the light a hologram would float within arm's reach. When there were dozens of holograms hovering around, he motioned for her to take a step back and he outstretched his arms, gathering the light into his palms before he flung them out into the room.

Webs of light strung between them like spiderwebs, weaving and connecting until one large screen was formed. Link was back on Jungle Japes, except he wasn't alone. A solid silver man was fighting him. He held a long sword in hand and gleamed with elegance from the elaborate cape clasped at his shoulders.

"What...is that?"

"It's a clone. Marth's, to be exact. You will have one once you've been assessed by your first battle." It wasn't Falcon who answered her but rather a familiar low woman's voice. Samus was encased in the metal beast's body and had its head tucked underneath the massive arm. At Zelda's incredulous look Falcon explained, "That's Samus's Power Suit, aptly named if I may add."

The stage was different despite it being the same one she was on not even half an hour before. There were alligators, huge and scaly, diving out of the rapid every seven seconds as an attempt to take a bite out of the smashers. The current was even rougher than before; Link must have altered the stage somehow. But those weren't even the most drastic of changes.

Link fought with a ferocity that she hadn't ever seen in him before. He sliced a good chunk out of metal Marth's chest and sparks flew from the impact. The metal swordsman rebounded without an inch of pain and jumped off of the shack, getting enough speed to barrel into Link to send him tumbling off the edge. But Link grapple hooked to safety and without wasting speed or energy he thrust the Master Sword into the clone's chest, slicing it cleanly in half.

All of this happened in under five seconds.

"Now I'm not one to judge. 'To each their own' is something I live by, you know? But this," Falcon pointed to where Link dived for a newly spawned clone, "this is something different. This is dangerous."

"Who are you to judge? Do not pretend to know what this man has faced." She tried to say it with confidence but even she was hesitant. She had spoken to war veterans before, had seen the hole in their hearts from battle. Who knew how much Link had changed from of the war? She watched as he sliced off the clone's arms and as the view panned over, his face was shown in clear view. His face was twisted into a furious rage and he aimed for the neck, lopping off the clone's head. He grinned.

Zelda shuddered beneath her wrappings, what happened to the hero? Falcon appeared at her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry," he said softly, "you guys are from the same world, aren't you?" She nodded dazed as Link finished stabbing another clone through the gut. "I didn't want to show you this to frighten you, but to warn you. He isn't like this off the battlefield. He's not exactly your social butterfly, but he doesn't try to rip your head off every second. But the thing is," he lightly turned her away from the screen, "Link is hardly ever off the battlefield."

It struck her odd that he should be so concerned. "Why do you care of my fate?" She looked from Falcon to Samus, "I am but a rookie, of no importance to this tournament. I should hardly be at the top of your worries."

Falcon was silent for a moment before he smiled, "Fox cares for you, and if Fox cares, so do we." He gestured towards Samus who nodded, her face completely void of the passion that filled Falcon's voice. "Just please be careful."

Zelda waited a moment before nodding, "I will be." Falcon beamed at her, obviously glad that she would stay away from danger. Except that she wouldn't be. Zelda was already formulating plans on how to track down Master Hand's lair quickly and efficiently, on how to study the new technology she found herself in the middle of.

She eyed the room of light; it would be some time before she could figure out how to increase the level of difficulty for the stages, but she would manage. Zelda watched as Link stood at the edge of the rickety platform on the screen, his fight apparently finished. When he gazed upon the fury of the rapid below, his distorted mirrored self flickering in the white wash, she sighed.

No, it seemed she would not be staying away from danger.

She was running straight at it.

* * *

**A/N:**

**That ending was so cheesy I barfed a rainbow. But I did it for you guys. Does anyone else find the image of Zelda eating potato chips funny? Haha, I had to! **

**Ugh, dialogue is so hard to write! Everything a character says is important, so I choose each word carefully. And the process sucks. How does one go about writing a serious Falcon? :( The things I do for all of you. Ah, but I love you guys. I'm not sure when the next chapter will come. Hopefully sooner than this one, but no promises! **

**I'm excited to hear your thoughts. What's going on? Why's Link acting that way? Why are the Toads weird? Will Zelda ever eat a normal meal at the tournament? (I'm asking that myself). **

**Please Favorite/Follow and Review! (:**


	9. Broken Glitter and Dirty Rain

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. Two weeks ago my school had a shooting; some of you may have heard about it on the news. I was going to get this chapter up earlier, but due to the circumstances I wasn't able to find much time to work on it. But I'm back! If you could keep us in your prayers, that would be great. (:**

**inlemoon: Thank you! I'm glad you're wondering(: Hope to keep you on your toes!**

**Reader: I'm happy that you're enjoying it, and more on Link will be revealed in time! (:**

**Guest: You reviewed chapter 5, but I'll address your review here. Interesting speculation, I love it! Thanks for your review!**

**Guest: And now it's been even more days! Thanks for your review(:**

**DoctorNerd: Why, thank you. I've forgotten what FYPS means, tell me again? (:**

**Legendoffun: Thanks! I know, I always do that. Where you start a story and you're only on chapter five out of, like, a HUNDRED and you just _can't_ leave a review yet. -_- I'm glad you like it, I've always wondered why someone hasn't done something like this yet!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Super Smash Bros. Brawl.**

* * *

The next few days found Zelda dizzied and dazzled.

She spent her time wandering the halls, marking the noteworthy rooms on her map as she passed by. Bathrooms, common rooms, even another dining room were laid throughout the Dome, though her favorite had to be the garden. The most brilliant and brightest of flowers were found there, and although she still had more smashers to meet, she found herself lounging amongst the colorful petals too often to be deemed wise.

The garden was a weaving thing, captured in a round hallway of a room that flowed throughout a complete floor of the mansion. She found it completely by accident, entering what she thought was another bathroom when it was actually a world of its own. Small streams and glass walls divided it, and the odd butterfly or two would flutter lazily around her head; the nature of it was sublime.

Despite her search, she couldn't find any hint of where Master Hand's lair would be. This left her in a sort of tiff and Fox wouldn't hesitate to point it out to her whenever she visited, _"Don't get your tiara in a bunch, princess."_

This was where she found herself now, far from the gardens and deep in the infirmary, rooted in an uncomfortable plastic chair planted at Fox's bedside. The vulpine had improved at considerable pace and was easily well enough to leave; she had a feeling he only stayed for the service. He insisted it was pride. "After all," he explained with a flourish of mock dignity, "I can't let the others see_ this_." He pointed to his tail which was still bent to the side.

Zelda stifled a laugh before sobering. "Do you not find it odd? Not one person here has the slightest inkling of where the Hand may reside. It's as if he vanishes at night." It was true; while she hadn't met with the other smashers, Zelda had gone out of her way to speak with some of the employees. Most of them were Toads and they had waved off her questions with hasty side-glances or a shake of the head. She didn't pretend to know anything about Toads, '_Is that a hat or their _actual_ head__?', _but she knew fishy behavior when she saw it.

"Just let it be. Maybe he returns to a giant arm at night, who knows?" Fox shrugged, but a glimmer passed his eyes and she opened her mouth to reply before she was interrupted by a knock on the open door.

Peach stood in the doorway, clad in the same pink dress Zelda met her in and smiled dazzlingly when she had their attention. "Oh, hello! I didn't know you had a guest, Fox."

The vulpine grinned and waved her in, "Yeah. Princess has been keeping little ole' me some company." She walked to his bed with a slight bounce in her step and curtsied before turning her attention to Zelda, a curious glint in her eyes.

"Why, Sheik! I haven't seen you for several days now, not since your first brawl! Well, not yours, exactly…" an uncomfortable pause filled the space as she looked for a different topic; no one needed a reminder of why they were in the infirmary in the first place. "...Have you settled in nicely?" Zelda nodded and Peach gasped in delight, "What's your favorite part of the city?"

She continued before Zelda could respond, "Dream Land's Café, Metroid Shooters..." she trailed off after noticing Zelda's blank stare. "Not even Delfino Plaza's replica? Fox!" She whipped her head around so fast that a blob of hair flew into Zelda's face, and Fox cringed when Peach's fury focused on him. "You haven't shown her around the city yet?!"

"Uh-"

Peach took a sharp breath and slowly faced Zelda, her eyes comically wide with a smile so big it had to be painful. "I could show you...Yes, it will be so _very_ pleasant!" She clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side, a giggle chiming out of her mouth. "Why hadn't I thought of this before...?" As she tapped a finger to her chin in wonder, Fox recovered from the outburst and grinned at Zelda. "By the way, didn't your parents ever tell you that it's rude to return a gift?"

He rustled through one of his pockets below the sheets before pulling out a familiar little fox, its tail straight and puffed compared to the real thing. He held it out in his palm to Zelda and she reached for it before hesitating. "But isn't this your good luck charm?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I have plenty of luck, just thought I'd share it. I'm generous that way." Zelda took it and tied it to her belt, and if she hadn't been paying attention she would've missed the way Peach stared at it, her bright eyes hardening for the slightest second before giggling. "Well, I say we go! The earlier we leave, the longer we can stay out!" The minute change was so sudden that Zelda wasn't sure if she had imagined it.

Peach hooked arms with her and they walked to the door as Fox called from behind them, "Oh, and Princess? Don't try the curry." Peach huffed as he cackled at his own joke and led Zelda out into the hall, "Honestly, it's not that hot. I'm _certain_ you'll enjoy Dream Land's Cafe."

They barely made it out of the corridor before someone interrupted them again. Captain Falcon, Samus, Mario and Ike were making there way down the hall, Samus being the only one out of her uniform. The dull gray of her sweats and T-shirt clashed awfully beside Falcon's yellow and blue.

"Hey! What are you guys up to?" Falcon's voice was naturally loud and it carried down the hallway, Samus's eye twitched at the sound. Mario made his way over to Peach and she beamed at him, earning a rosy blush from the plumber in return.

"Sheik and I are going out to the city!" Peach nudged Zelda and smiled before her face fell, "Fox, the furry fool, hasn't so much as taken her outside of the Dome." Zelda could have mentioned that she had no real desire or need to even leave the building yet, and that it wasn't so much as Fox's job to drag her around, but held her tongue. She didn't want to risk the wrath of Peach.

"Ah, I see," Falcon studied Zelda from behind his mask before blinking, the whites of his eyes flashing once. "We're seeing the furry fool today. Checking up on his health, but more likely his stupidity." He flashed a cheeky grin, "Gotta keep a check on stupidity, you know?"

He laughed even though he was the only one, Ike and Samus standing in silence at his shoulder while Mario fawned over Peach. Falcon suddenly turned heel and called over his shoulder, "Well, best let you two get to it. Have fun in the city!"

They waved their goodbyes and Peach dragged Zelda down along the corridor, and it was only until the two were completely out of the hallway did Zelda hear the soft _click _of Fox's door shutting behind its guests_._

* * *

_"'Ey, toots! Over here!" _

Darting eyes underneath thick coats called to them, grizzly muzzles with crooked teeth jeered and hollered. Peach made a sound of disgust when one reached for her dress and she hit him over the head with a frying pan before continuing on the cracked pavement of the sidewalk, her pink heels carefully sidestepping any potential breaks. There was a light drizzle in the morning and the streets were dabbled with puddles and streams from overflowing gutters in response. Peach had pulled out her parasol long ago and twirled it in the rain, the resulting droplets spinning and splashing onto Zelda's face.

She didn't mind, though. The air, though not as fresh as Hyrule, was blissfully clear compared to the Dome. She hadn't realized how stifling it was until she had left the wonders of the Smash tournament. However, the city wasn't without its own breathtaking qualities. Gray buildings scraped the sky, so tall they were that even the birds couldn't reach them. The dreary clouds and streets were painted with lights from the city, like flickering candles in pools of water.

In the rain, Smash Center was even more beautiful.

"Don't you just love the rain?" Peach cheerfully kicked a few pebbles out of her way before glaring at a toothless man who cackled as they passed. Zelda glanced at him wearily before nodding, "Yes, it's quite refreshing."

"Is it different?" The drizzle had become a heavier _pitter patter _on the streets and they picked up their pace.

"I'm sorry?" Zelda glanced at the princess whose face had taken on a nostalgic look. "Is the rain different in Hyrule?" The rain? It was probably the most familiar to her home, and she told her as such.

Peach continued with a sad sort of smile, "From what I remember, Mushroom Kingdom didn't rain like this. It was lighter, cleaner."

'_That's true.'_ Hyrule rained often and plenty, so much that some of the lowlands would flood in the springtime. But it was still fresh compared to the staleness of this downpour. That wasn't the most cheerful of thoughts. Zelda stopped for a moment and Peach trekked on, oblivious to the fact that she was alone. '_From what I remember...?'_

Zelda caught up to her in long strides and grabbed her shoulder, "When was the last time you visited your kingdom?"

Peach scanned the buildings with an exaggerated interest before meeting her gaze, her mouth quirked to the side. "It's been too long, I suppose. I wasn't all that prepared for sponsoring."

"What do you mean?"

The heavens had split open by now and a torrential downpour assaulted the streets, the water frigid and heavy. Civilians ran inside; those who hadn't already pulled out umbrellas and huddled beneath them. Zelda and Peach stood still beneath the rain, the wash poured off of her parasol and drenching the hem of her dress.

"I'm a sponsor for the tournament. Hasn't anyone told you?" At Peach's tilted head, Zelda shrugged. The overabundance of Toads, the flashing mushroom logo at the bottom of the battle screen; it explained a few things.

"I supply money and helpers, whatever's needed. Come and we can finish this thought inside, we're almost there. Plus, my feet are freezing." Peach shook a foot for emphasis before hooking her arm securely in Zelda's, leading her along the cracked, glistening pavement until they reached a stacked building that was outlined in a hazy violet glow. Neon wire wrapped itself into a scrawling script that read _Dream Land's Café _on the front, the _é _flickering in time with the raindrops pouring from the gutters.

"This is it," Peach clasped her hands together, "Lunch!"

* * *

The heavy wooden door creaked open in protest and a cloud of glitter fell upon Zelda's feet in its wake. The café was shrouded in a heavy musk, dimly lit by the violet-tinted light bulbs that hung low from the ceiling, and the scent of an unmistakable bitterness wafted from the drinks set out on the tables.

Surprisingly, there was a little bit of everything at Dream Land's Café. While there were several shady characters in too-large overcoats and hats, there were the familiar Toads and even a few humans. It was a large place; easy to see from the many hidden crannies and entrances that people kept appearing from, yet it seemed cramped from the amount of tables and chairs that were crammed in one space.

What took up the majority of the room was the fountain. All of the violet light seemed to radiate from its center, veils of water streaming from the edges into the pool at its base. At the top was a glittering golden star that sprinkled glitter in puffs, a bubble or two escaping every so often in wobbly glistening orbs.

The fountain, _Fountain of Dreams_ carved onto a golden plaque on the front, was marvelous at a glance. It was clearly the main attraction with tiny streams lacing from the base to weave between tables and along the walls, and splotches of light twinkled off of the water to reflect off of the walls, making the room look like a cavern from inside Zora's Domain.

But that was where the beauty ended. The cheap plaster flaked bits onto the ground and the wires poked out from underneath, and they sparked slightly when droplets of water sprayed onto them. They flickered like the fiery veins of a dying heart, fighting for each beat but ultimately losing against the war of time and decay._  
_

At the bar were at least a dozen scaly lizard creatures downing bubbling magenta fizz, the shortest one of the bunch tipping off of his stool to the amusement of others. His drink-_was it glowing, or was that just her imagination?-_ spilled onto ground and she followed its trail beneath the counter.

The dark tiled floors managed to be slippery and sticky at the same time, and when she looked closer she managed to see traces of crimson stains splattered against the dirt and fizzy drink.

She decided not to focus on the details after that.

Peach looped around crusted booths and equally crusty waiters until they found a secluded table in the corner. Peach sat down and tapped the peeling surface with excitement, a silent invitation to sit down. The only thing Zelda wanted to do was pry her hands off of the disgusting thing-_gloved or not, no one should be touching that!_- but she sat down nonetheless.

"So," Was the first thing out of Peach's mouth once she sat down, "what do you think?" The princess waited with barely contained fervor in the seconds that Zelda scrounged for a reply.

_'I think it's horrid.' _"The decorum is rather...fascinating." Peach's resulting girlish squeal attracted the curious gazes of nearby diners, and she waved happily at them until they turned around once more. Her grin almost split her face in two.

"I must admit that you had me worried for a moment! Not many are fond of this place," she gestured around the room and pouted, "but I absolutely adore it!" A waiter came by with two pink crystalline glasses of water and Zelda nodded her thanks, Peach whispering behind her hand to him while casting her a sly glance.

Once he left, she folded her hands in her lap, leaning in as if sharing a secret. "This used to be a part of the stage selection back at the Dome, believe it or not."

"Really?" It hardly looked like a place for fighting, but then again _Luigi's Mansion _wasn't her idea of a battle ground either.

"Why, yes! It was years ago. I wasn't here of course, but there were only twelve stages back then. Most of them have been torn down by now to make room for other things, but someone thought _Fountain of Dreams_ had to be preserved. I'm not sure the preserving aspect worked out in the end," Peach grimaced at the peeling paint and wires,"but at least it's still here."

So one of the stages used to be in another part of the city? "Does that mean the tournament building was moved?" The buildings surrounding the café didn't look as if they belonged in a fighting arena, but what did she know? Zelda couldn't see the difference before.

Peach's face turned thoughtful, "You know, I hadn't really thought of it before. Perhaps, but don't you think it awful work to move everything over to the other side of town? Maybe the fighters just walked to each stage and Master Hand wanted to contain it better?" Peach stopped for a moment before continuing, slower than before, "I know that it's probably helped business for both parties."

"Both parties?"

Peach sipped from her water, "Yes, the city and the tournament." A spark from one of the wires beside their table hovered near Peach's hair and she blew it away before smiling, "In either case, we get to enjoy lunch together, as do the rest of these people."

From the look of the other occupants, namely the numerous bodies passed out on the tiles with bottles littering the floors, it didn't look as if they were enjoying lunch. But Zelda nodded anyways.

"And now we have the new stages!" Peach clasped her hands together in delight before her face fell, "Though not all are very delightful. You remember the one, Fox's..." At Zelda's nod she continued, "Mario has a brother, Luigi. He...he isn't doing so well. He's always been a sweet man, but he's delicate in ways that his brother isn't."

Peach lowered her voice and shuddered, "That horrid, _grimy_ mansion was something he had to go through. And, well...Master Hand deemed it perfect for the public's entertainment." She finished with a sigh, "Mario was so angry. I haven't seen him like that in ages." She fixed her gaze somewhere past Zelda's shoulder before sitting up straight and fast, her bright blue eyes widening comically, "Oh, listen to me! What a dimsy downer, goodness- Mario would shake his head right now if he knew. And I have hardly let you speak!"

Zelda, who had settled into a pleasant peace at Peach's talking, blinked in surprise when white gloves gripped her own finger-less ones. "Tell me, do you prefer the color blue, or is that just something your people wear?" She must have been joking, _had_ to have been, but Zelda could only sense an urgency behind her words.

"Both, I suppose..." Zelda trailed off and watched as Peach slumped against the back of her chair, the position completely unladylike and unfit for royalty. "I did it," she giggled breathlessly, "I learned something new about the elusive Sheik." She brushed a strand of golden hair from her face and laughed at Zelda's wide eyes. "You're a bit of an enigma to the others, you see. I could see it in their eyes, they didn't believe it when I said we were going to the city together."

She was talking about Falcon and the others, Zelda realized. "But we've proven them wrong, I believe. And I believe that we'll become great friends someday." Peach sipped at her water and went on to change the subject expertly, but Zelda was stuck on her words, _'...great friends someday.' _Zelda smiled, _that would be nice_.

"Mario thinks me silly, he _must_ by the glances he gives me, but he doesn't get it." She was jolted back to reality by Peach's latest stream of words, "He's been everywhere, has seen everything, but I haven't. I mean," she giggled, "until now. Now, I can see a fragment of what he has seen. And that, Sheik, is simply incredible. An opportunity that I don't want to waste."

Peach, satisfied with her explanation, had begun to unfold her napkin before she looked up shyly. "That's why I joined, I guess. To get out in the open world." She paused, pursing her lips before adding, "worlds, I suppose. My, what a strange thing we've found ourselves in the midst of!"

She giggled behind her hand as if the idea of it was a joke and Zelda smiled in response. "That is a brave path you've taken. 'To see new worlds', very admirable indeed." Peach beamed before tilting her head to the side, "And why did you join the tournament?"

Why? To save her country and people. _'Possibly Peach's people as well," _she added, though she couldn't very well say any of that. Zelda shifted in her chair, the pink leather seat squeaking in protest, "I thought it would be a chance to hone my skill."

"Hmm..." Peach leaned forward in interest and placed her chin on her hands, a few blond hairs dusting the backs of her fingers. "And what is your skill?"

"Blending in," Zelda drew out the words with a dry interest.

Peach blinked before throwing her head back in laughter, clutching her sides in an attempt to quell it before failing miserably and settled on hiccuped gasps for air as Zelda sat and tried to ignore the awkward stares they received.

"One could only wish!" Peach strangled out between her laughter, "But that's hardly ever the case in our business. We're doomed to shine, destined to to be seen and heard by all worlds."

"Oh? And for how long should that be your doom and destiny, Peach?" She said it in jest, for she was certain Peach was in a lighthearted mood and didn't mean anything by it. Who else would laugh their way through telling someone that? And yet Peach's face became lined with severity, and she looked awfully old in that moment.

"As long as it must," the princess answered with a finality. They stared at one another and Zelda was saved from replying by the waiter bringing their food.

"Here you are, madames. Two Superspicy Currys, enjoy." The waiter, now that Zelda looked closer, seemed awfully familiar. She didn't recognize his voice, but the way his eyes moved across them as he placed their food down was something reminded her of someone. He met her gaze and lowered his head, and she looked away as Peach thanked him.

"Well," Peach breathed before her lips twitched into a grin, "I say we enjoy this meal." She picked up her spoon and Zelda followed before remembering something vital.

Her mask.

She had been wearing it everyday, every moment that a part of her forgot about it. Her fingers twitched around the spoon and Peach looked at her concerned, "Is there something wrong?"

_'Yes',_ she thought, _'My face.'_ A simple charm would have to do, she decided. Zelda focused on her lips and nose, enlarging them slightly to look more like Impa's. The thought occurred to her that she should have done that from the start, but she dismissed it. Maintaining pigment charms was simple, child's play. Manipulating facial structures was another thing entirely.

"Ah, no. I was just saying prayer." Peach nodded understandingly and Zelda pulled down her wraps to leave them hanging at her neck. Scooping a spoonful of curry into her mouth, she realized her error too soon.

Honestly, if she were watching her, Zelda would've noticed the mischievous glint in the princess's eye. Peach was too obvious, after all. But she didn't watch, and she ate instead.

Zelda was on fire.

Steam poured out of her nose and ears, and tears streamed down her face like the Zora River. She made a noise between a yelp and a curse, and it was only years of drinking Gerudo Flower that kept her from spitting. Zelda glared in with blurry eyes while Peach cackled in delight, her own curry set aside.

"You, my dear," Peach sputtered, "are too much fun! We must do this more often!"

* * *

It was still raining by the time they left the café.

Peach took turns skipping and hobbling down the streets in her heels with Zelda in tow, and it was only when they reached the Dome that Peach slowed.

"But why this shape?"

They took to comparing their own worlds to Smash Center, and what they kept returning to was the size of everything. "By what it sounds like, my world seems more advanced than yours technologically," Peach pointed out and Zelda nodded grudgingly. It was true; Peach spoke of trains and "motorbikes", whereas her people were still working on capturing light like how this realm seemed to manage.

Peach gestured to the shining silver Dome, "But my world doesn't have buildings _this_ big, or this strange. I suppose it's to grab attention, isn't it?" They made their way through the entrance and Peach began a lengthy argument about shapes and architecture when they were stopped.

"Uh, excuse me Princess...?" It was a Toad, and a young one by the looks of it. "Yes, dear?" Peach effortlessly pulled a diplomatic smile onto her face, impressive by Zelda's standards.

"It's for her." The Toad handed her a black envelope that reflected the colorful light when tilted, the Smash logo etched in gloss on front. He scurried away and it was just her and Peach standing together, the hundreds of employees and tourists rushing to their own activities.

"Oh my."

Peach stared down at the envelope and Zelda gave her a look, "What is it?" Peach folded her hands but didn't move her gaze, "Open it."

The black tab gave way smoothly, not even partially tearing. The paper inside was crisp and matte, the letters an elegant scrawl that only showed when turned the right way. Ah, she thought. This did warrant an _oh my_.

_Sheik of Hyrule, _

_You are hereby scheduled to brawl in three days time._

* * *

**A/N:**

**I live for the cliffhangers. Almost to 5,000 views, and I think this is my longest chapter yet!**

**Thank you to everyone who has already reviewed! I will address them next chapter(: Please review/follow/fave, those mean SO much to me! (:**


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